Creeper's Captive
by Ami Quinton26
Summary: Abducted and kept alive for one purpose only, a young woman has to make a choice to either fight her future, or try to change it for the better. Inspired by CleverNickName's "What Happened to Maria Adams Then". Please review, I hunger for it.
1. Chapter 1

Creeper's Captive

_Well, here it is. This story started as the very beginning of my Jeepers Creepers fanfiction ideas, with Goliathus and Ami. However, it is different in many ways from "The Goliathus Chronicles". I had only written one very long chapter, and then for years left it alone, working on the other ideas. Now, it has become a fanfiction of a fanfiction...while still utilizing my own imagination. After reading "What Happened to Maria Adams Then" by CleverNickName I got inspired to turn this story into something of that nature. I need to give credit where credit is due, with the idea of a "breeder". This is not my own idea originally. However, I have taken that idea and ran with it. I hope you like what has become an ongoing obsession with me. I have a lot of this story already written and much more to write. I really hope you will enjoy it and please leave some feedback, all of us writers hunger for it...we really do. You will notice some similarities to my other story as well as the use of familiar names like Goliathus, Ami...and Solarus. But the story is a different entity, and so are the characters._

_/_

The kitchen was alive with the scents of various herbs and spices, as young Ami Quinn stood over her large pot, stirring with a frustrated expression furrowed into her brow. Sighing, she tasted the soup and grabbed the salt, realizing it needed a lot more. It had seemed nothing had gone right this day. She had woken up, ready to enjoy her day off and go nature hiking, one of her favorite activities...only to discover the weather had decided to turn against her, it was raining. The afternoon only seemed to bring more rain. Going out to some place like the mall or a museum was even less appealing...Ami did not like people, and in fact, she preferred her solitude. Yep...just her and her nice little cabin hidden in the woods.

She looked behind her out her large bay window and watched as the rain spattered against the porch. There was at least something beautiful about the rain, and the way the droplets danced off of objects or swirled into puddles of various shapes and sizes wherever it decided to go. Lost in her thoughts, she ended up watching the rain for too long. After a while, a burning scent caught her nose.

Well, there went dinner.

The cooking having also been a disaster, Ami resided herself to heading up to her bedroom and getting into her most cozy robe. It was a big fluffy red one made of fleece, and after shucking off her clothes and quickly putting it on, she resovled to solve her hunger issue with a TV dinner and a cup of hot tea downstairs.

After turning on the TV she popped in a disc into the DVD player and flopped down on the couch to watch one of her favorite horror movies. She loved creature features, and had probably seen every such movie in existance. Something about monsters delighted her. Though at times they were scary (if the movie wasn't cheesy), monsters more often than not fascinated her.

A few hours later Ami found herself snapping her eyes open. A loud banging noise had startled her right out of sleep. She found herself staring at a now blank TV screen and the cabin was dark. The half-eaten TV dinner was sitting there on her coffee table and she mentally chided herself for having fallen asleep.

_Power outage? _It was raining hard outside, but there wasn't any lightning as far as she could tell.

Sighing, she got up to go to the basement and check the fuses. Just before she could leave the living room, however, another loud BANG caused her to spin on her feet.

The bay window.

There was the ear-splitting sound of breaking glass. The eruption of wind, rain, and eerie howling which followed caused Ami to shriek despite herself and she fell on her back.

It must have been a tree. Her first thought was of how damned expensive it was going to be to have to replace that window.

Then, there was another sound...one she didn't recognize. Something between a snarl and a huff.

Ami squinted through the nearly blinding rain and wind, she was getting soaked but hardly paid attention as she realized a tall figure was standing on her porch.

A man?

_Robbery?_

Silhoutted against the pale moonlight, she could barely make out any of his features. He was just tall and...wrong. Unable to explain it, she could practically feel the ominous atmosphere that seemed to ooze around him.

She saw fingers flex, heard a low growl. He took a step towards her.

Ami was torn between the fight or flight reflex. Part of her wanted to get up and run, the other part of her wanted to attempt to jump the guy and knock him right off the porch, for breaking her window.

For a robber, he sure didn't know anything about being discreet.

Wait a minute, this was a dream, right? Of course it was, she had just seen a horror movie. It was probably a stupid nightmare. Except the fact remained that she was wet, cold, and frightened, and it all felt rather real.

And so did he.

With another heavy footstep he came closer, and finally Ami moved and scrambled backwards. She tried to get up to turn and run, but he suddenly grabbed her. Now overwhelmed with fear, she screamed and kicked, but he didn't even flinch and headed back out his makeshift entrance.

The rain was coming down so hard that Ami was already wet and miserable. Her abductor had her tightly in his grasp and was half carrying, half dragging her along. Ami couldn't get herself to speak up and say anything. It seemed rather pointless and she was too terrified anyhow. They only traveled a small distance down a muddy hill until she could make out some kind of old-looking truck partially hidden near some bushes. And although she kicked and protested some more, he opened up the back and tossed her in like a rag doll, and slammed the door shut. She heard the sound of a lock clank in her ears.

Ami froze. For a moment she could hear nothing but the loud patter of rain on the truck's roof. The air was dank and smelled horrible, the scent was almost like the strong tang of metal and something rotting. It was enough to churn her stomach and make her want to gag, but she resisted. Looking around it was too dark to see anything, and then she felt her weight get violently shifted to the side as her attacker jumped into the front seat, started the engine, and took off quickly. Bouncing around in the back painfully, Ami eventually managed to work her way over to a corner and grab what seemed like a hanging chain so she could get some balance. She couldn't tell for sure but it seemed her driver was trying to hit every large rock or pothole he could find in the road. That's if they _were_ on a road, it was impossible to tell since she couldn't see anything. All she knew was that she wanted to get out of this truck. Crawling to the door slowly, she tried to open it but realized it was locked tight and the handle would not budge. Her heart sank, the reality of it finally settling in. Ami had always had trouble with reality, but eventually it sunk its way into her brain.

She had been abducted. Some crazy psycho probably. He was either going to rape her, torture her...or worse.

Another large bump practically would have slammed her into the other side of the truck, if it were not for the large chain she was clinging to. After a few minutes she unwrapped her fingers from it and realized they were finally on a road...wherever they were going...the ride had gotten a lot smoother albeit still painful on her rear.

After many more minutes Ami heard her attacker growl. He sped up the truck, and seemed to be swerving carelessly. She clung to the chain more tightly than ever and a tear founds its way down her face. There was the sound of crazed honking, tires squealing, than a horrible crash of another vehicle. The truck came to an abrupt halt, and she could hear the abductor get out of the truck and then it was eerily silent. For a while, she wondered if he had abandoned the truck. Not knowing what was going on was adding to the fear and Ami fought to keep her composure.

She was shaking, putting a death grip on the chain, and her heart was pounding in her ears.

Then there were distant screams, which sent horrible chills down her spine. She tried to sink in to the corner of the truck even more when she heard those screams get closer and more of those snarling growling sounds.

There were two now, she could certainly tell that. Instantly she realized her abductor had captured another victim.

_Shit...he ran a guy off the road?_

The lock was clanked back open, the door creaked. What Ami saw next made her eyes widen like saucers. There was another victim, yes, a poor unfortunate man. But her abductor's face was more visible thanks to the moon peering once more through the clouds and lighting up the eerie night as the rain had reduced to a light drizzle. She saw frightening, intense eyes...slightly pointed ears, and a mouthful of wicked and sharp teeth before the man was tossed in and the door slammed shut again.

Although the remainder of the torturous ride was perhaps no more than half an hour, it had seemed like an eternity. Ami realized she was far more in control then the man who was moaning and shaking in fear next to her. She tried to talk to him, but for whatever reason he seemed afraid of her as well.

Then they arrived...where, she didn't know. The driver creaked out of the truck, she heard his heavy footfalls as he came around the side and opened the door. Ami shrank back into her little corner but of course it was absolutely useless. With one arm he grabbed the man, then her with his other. The strength their abductor had was unreal as he dragged them along to the door of a huge, abandoned warehouse. Ami could tell that it was very early morning, as things were starting to get a bit lighter outside. The rain had ceased to a mere drizzle, but she was still shaking and miserably wet.

As they came to the door he roughly shoved it open with his shoulder, and there was a horribly loud, creaking sound of rusty metal. The smells inside the warehouse were awful, like a mixture of chemicals, more metal tang, and something like dead animals. Coughing Ami tried to clear the smell from her nose but no matter where they traveled it lingered. They were taken deep within the bowels of the warehouse, where there were a few dusty lightbulbs lit and Ami could see a plethora of items strewn all about various metal tables.

The captor's face was mostly hidden behind the rim of a stetson hat now but Ami remembered what she had seen before...something about him was not right at all. How she was managing not to go crazy at this point even she didn't understand, afraid as she was. Her fellow captive however, was certainly doing just that. He started screaming and flailing again the moment he saw the tables and the assorted objects which included rusty knives and other blood-crusted instruments.

Ami was suddenly tossed harshly to the side, onto a large pile of dank, smelly clothes. She was shocked to realize the clothes were a variety of men's shirts, woman's dresses, jeans...even pajamas. The man was flung onto what looked like a bare surgeon's table. Ami could only stare helplessly and freeze like a deer in headlights. She met with blue eyes as the man glanced at her, his eyes wide and horrified. He wasn't a bad looking guy at all...with disheveled brown hair and a slight goatee. But whoever he was, she couldn't help him. There was nothing she could do.

The next moment made it very clear to Ami, and her fellow captive, that their attacker was a lot more than meets the eye. After chaining the man's arms to the table, he removed his stetson hat and duster. Ami saw his long white hair, coming down nearly to the middle of his back and settling between two huge wings wrapped tightly around his form. His face was monstrous, there were those sharp teeth again, glistening as he sneered down at the man on the table and started sniffing him deeply, making odd sounds. As to be expected, the man started shrieking even louder.

The abductor was not human. Not even close. Whatever he was seemed like it just _had_ to be unreal, this all was just a nightmare. Ami tried closing her eyes and opening them again, but the scene before her was still there, frighteningly real after all. She felt raw fear surging through her, and shut her eyes tightly.

_No, no, you have to stay calm. Don't lose it, girl._

The creature snapped its head in her direction, picking up on her fear. But he only narrowed his eyes with a hideous grin then turned away, seemingly more interested in the man for now.

Ami had not seen his reaction, and was shaking, wrapping her arms around her knees. She kept her eyes shut and refused to watch whatever this monster was going to do the man.

She could hear the monster clanking around through objects on the table, making more low growls and huffing sounds. Then the man screamed again, but it was a louder, blood-curdling scream that caused Ami to tighten her grip around her knees.

There were sickening wet sounds, more screams, sounds of bones breaking. The man was now gurgling, and seemed to be unable to catch his breath. Despite everything, Ami slowly opened one eye to catch a glance. She regretted it instantly, as she saw the man's face contorted in pain and blood seeping from the edges of his mouth. He was still alive, but barely. The creature was hovering over his middle and she couldn't see what it was doing, but he seemed to be enjoying whatever it was. He was making low, satisfied sounds and oh god...oh god...was he...Ami caught a glimpse of intestines spilled around his dusty and torn boots. He shifted to the side slightly and now there was no mistaking what he was doing. Pulling fistfuls of the man's intestines into his mouth, he was slurping them down like spaghetti. Ami's stomach lurched, and she heaved, bile and foam rising to her mouth. The monster didn't care or perhaps didn't even notice, just continued until all of the intestines were gone.

Ami shut her eyes again and chided herself for ever daring to look. And yet, she found the shock of what he did and its effect quickly passing. She was still afraid, very much so, but some amount of strange fascination was creeping in.

How in the world was she staying sane?

After a couple of long hours, it seemed like keeping her eyes shut was pointless. She finally decided to open them again, only to see the creature now working with a huge needle and some twine, and carefully sewing the man's middle closed. Of course, the poor soul was dead, and Ami felt sad for him, she couldn't help it. The expression of horror was still plastered on his face. The monster had an intent concentration in its eyes, while it was performing its strange ritual, and it constantly made these little snarling and huffing sounds, or snorted if it made a mistake.

It was then that Ami noticed something in the adjacent room on the other side. Through the open door, she could see something hanging on the walls. After a minute, she finally realized what it was.

A body. Hanging on the wall. Shifting slightly over, she saw that there were more. In fact it dawned on her that inside of that room were probably _many_ bodies hanging on the wall.

_What_ in the world was this creature? Why was it doing this? How could it even be _real_?

She didn't notice at first the creature staring at her. Her own gaze was locked on the figures hanging on the wall in the other room as her thoughts drifted. He followed her gaze slowly and then turned back, grinning wickedly.

Again, she froze as their eyes met. For a few eerie minutes he kept staring at her until finally he picked up the corpse and dropped it into a trough of what smelled like very strong chemicals.

_He's preserving it? Are you kidding me? Where the heck did he get-_

Her thought was cut off by the creature who was now suddenly standing right near her. He moved so fast that in the next moment a large clawed hand was around her neck and she felt herself being heaved up effortlessly.

In the same manner as the man, she was thrown onto the bloody table and chained to it.

Ami felt the tears flood her eyes now. She was going to die, and worse, was going to be eaten by this creature...and perhaps while still alive, just like the man...

Fear ruled out all of her other senses, but there was also...sadness...and god, fascination. How could she be fascinated by this being who was going to have her for dinner?

_I really am crazy. Something is very wrong with me._

The robe she was still wearing was torn off her and thrown towards the pile of clothing she had been sitting on. The creature started sniffing her in the same manner as before and she felt its claws scraping against her skin in various places, as he flexed and seemed obsessed with her scents. Ami tried hard to resist screaming or struggling. Somehow she knew that it might only cause things to be worse for her.

She wanted to say something really she did. But what the hell do you say to something not even human? Would it make any difference? Would it even _understand_?

Why not? After all, she was going to die one way or the other. It was the only thing she could think of trying, knowing her chance of survival was almost nill.

Her voice came out small and hushed. Just to be certain.

"Hello?"

_Yeah, good. Hello? Stupid, stupid girl._

The creature went silent, staring at her, blinking its eyes. Ami had no idea what it was thinking, nor could she determine any sort of emotion. It just blinked at her with intense, frightening orbs of icy blue.

She tried to keep herself relaxed, and to fight the fear. She had noticed it seemed attracted to fear, even excited by it. Which was not a good thing.

Right now, she was hoping to distract it from its ultimate goal, rather than excite its blood lust.

"Hi...there..."

She had better come up with something better than that...

The creature just stared at her, but suddenly it seemed to be awfully interested in something in her mouth. Fighting the urge to scream, she merely pushed back uselessly against the table as the monster yanked her mouth open and grabbed a tooth. With a slight flick of its wrist and a twist, the tooth was pulled out and Ami could not stop the scream that time.

Even with her chains, her hands were able to reach her mouth and she felt the blood seeping out of it. The grey monster grinned slightly at the metal substance in the tooth. It went over to its desk of horrors and used a small pick to scrape it out. Reaching for a small container it put the tiny chunk of amalgam in and Ami could see that this jar was full of it.

Dental fillings. It was collecting dental fillings?

Though the pain throbbed in her mouth from the missing tooth, Ami stared in wonder. This wasn't just some kind of primal killing machine. Evidence that he had some level of intelligence...in fact a lot of it...was all over the warehouse's basement.

And that intelligence was the one thing that just might save her...however small that chance was.

The creature came back and forced her mouth open again. It snorted, however, when it realized she had no other teeth with fillings.

Ami let out a sigh of relief, but it was short lived, because whatever the creature _really_ wanted from her was probably going to involve some rather crude surgery to get to.

The sniffing continued, and Ami realized she had better try to say more than just "hi" or "hello" and she had better come up with something fast.

"Are..y-you an artist?"

She was a little more than surprised when the creature glanced at her and gave her a slight, curt nod.

_Holy shit, it does understand._

"But are you-" She felt a clawed hand slam against her mouth, painfully hitting the back of her head against the table and Ami felt a surge of fear.

Exactly what the creature wanted. It continued its sniffing and seemed to linger over her left side.

_I've got to do something! God, I don't want to die. What the heck am I going to do?_

The monster fished around in a pocket of its duster and pulled out a blade. Ami felt an overwhelming amount of sadness and tears fell freely from her eyes now. The creature cocked its head curiously, and reached down to lick the tears from her face.

Ami froze. This was certainly no act of compassion, but what exactly it meant by this, she wasn't sure. For a quick moment, she could have sworn she saw something akin to tenderness in its eyes.

_Oh yeah, that's it, tenderness. And I suppose, Ami girl, that he's just going to break out into tears, relent, and let you go, huh? Or maybe you could lie here and have a nice chat with him about what his favorite art form is?_

The awful sniffing continued anew. But a crazy thought flashed into her mind, and at this point, what else was she going to do?

He was enraptured by scents after all...just maybe...?

The monster was concentrating heavily on her middle, but when he finally moved down closer to her crotch, she spread her legs apart. She could feel the hot breath now on her most sensitive areas, and it sent tingles of desire through her despite the real horror of the situation. However small though, the monster seemed to pick up on it. He sniffed more deeply and seemed entranced. Ami couldn't even believe her own actions, as she pushed closer to its nose.

What she was hoping to accomplish, she wasn't sure. The monster seemed male enough, but who said it had any kind of desire? Then again, it was intelligent, so if anything, there would be primal lust.

But what was she expecting? Considering this monster seemed to want to feed on human flesh, Ami knew that the final result could be him biting down on her and tearing her apart.

Maybe, just maybe though, she could end up being something other than food.

It was all about survival...after all...

Ami glanced down to see the eyes of her captor glazed over and unfocused. Suddenly, he seemed incredibly less savage in that moment as he took in another long breath and then to Ami's shock, its tongue darted out a few times, tasting the moisture that was forming there.

The sensation was both pleasurable and frightening.

He still had the knife in one hand, but the other was shoving her legs further apart as he kept sucking in her scent as if a drug and tasting her now and then.

Ami dared not to move, but what was the next thing to do?

_Maybe if I choose my words carefully, I-ohhhh!_

There was just an explosion of pleasure, wanted or not, as the creature began licking at her in hungry thrusts and low groans. It was relentless, and Ami felt her body responding as the tingling sensations started to build in her nether-regions.

She squirmed a bit uncomfortably as it shamelessly stuck its tongue inside her as far it would go, seeming to relish the fluids her body was producing. Though a tad painful the act was still more pleasurable and very soon she was going to lose herself.

After a few minutes, Ami felt the orgasm building, and for a moment, she wanted to push him away and she tried hard to resist the feeling. It was so wrong and bizarre, and yet, she remembered she was doing this for the sole reason of trying to survive.

The feelings grew and persisted, so Ami decided to give into it. She let her mind wander to more pleasant situations.

Her eyes widened at the intensity of the orgasm. It washed over her in convulsing waves and she moaned out loud before she even had a chance to catch herself. The creature groaned and lapped at her juices greedily and noisily. It kept licking at her until she was sore, and then finally stopped and backed away.

Now it was a staring contest. She tried not to look into its eyes too long, but couldn't help glancing out of the corner of her eye occasionally, noticing he was still sucking her juices from his teeth and lips, all the while his terrifying, predatory gaze was solidly locked on her. It was incredibly unnerving that this creature would just stare at you directly in the eyes, without so much as a blink.

Her mind racing, Ami wondered what she would do next...or if she should dare to even do anything. The table was uncomfortable and slippery, slick with now ice cold blood that was browning and smearing all over her exposed skin. Completely naked, she was also shivering from the temperature as well as her fear of her captor. Closing her eyes, Ami prayed. She didn't know whether God or not was real, but she did know there was little else she could do.

_Help me. Somehow, I have to survive this. But...how?_

The creature snorted then, instantly snapping her attention back to him. She nearly stopped breathing as she saw the creepy grin slowly spread over his features. He looked over to the room next to them, with dozens of crudely preserved bodies draping the walls, as if considering what to put there next.

_Yeah...me._

Ami fought the tears, she had to be strong. She sighed and tried to choose her next words carefully, making sure to keep her voice very low. It would do her no good to piss off this monster, who seemed to hate loud noises. Her voice earlier seemed to annoy him, the memory brought back the throbbing to her jaw.

"Please...we don't have to be enemies, you and I. Perhaps we can be...something else?" She wanted to sit up in the worst way, but the chains held her fast to the wretched table. What in the world was she saying though? It didn't even make sense to herself. Once again she cursed mentally, finding it increasingly difficult to concentrate as time went on.

The creature's eyes went wide, and he tilted his head slightly. After a few moments, he burst out into laughter, filling the warehouse with an eerie, raspy sound that made Ami shiver even more. His amusement was hardly comforting, that was for sure.

Had she said the wrong thing once again?

The winged nightmare approached her, clicking his talons on the floor as he neared the table, slowly and deliberately. He sniffed her once more, again seemingly enraptured with her scent. Ami hoped with all her might that she had convinced him of something...and in the next moment, she realized she had. He unchained her, and harshly pulled her from the table. Then he tossed her still naked and bloody form onto the piles of clothes from before. There was once again eerie silence, then he made a deep, throaty purring, a sound that was not nearly as malicious as it had been before. Coming up very close to her face, his impossibly unblinking eyes stared at her hard. Ami felt the fear rising, and he only grinned mischievously. He spoke then, much to her utter shock. A simple, not-to-be mistaken demand came up from his throat.

"Staaaay."

Ami shivered. The voice was deep, raspy, and extremely dominant.

He pointed to the table, as if a reminder.

_Try and leave, and I will kill you. _His message was unmistakable.

Ami quickly nodded, showing her passiveness by lowering her head. If she wanted to survive, she would do everything he told her.

"I...will. I-I won't go anywhere." She whispered.

Seemingly satisfied with that, the being known as the Creeper once again grinned at her wickedly before grabbing his Stetson hat and tattered duster, heading out of the warehouse. She watched him go, but dared not move a muscle.

_/_

_End Chapter 1  
><em>


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

/

Hours had past, and the creature had not yet returned. Ami had remained on the pile of clothes, and had even caught a brief nap, but fear had kept waking her up, over and over again. She had already used some of the clothes she found, finding a man's blue flannel shirt and torn pair of skinny jeans that fit her fairly well. But now, she was hungry and thirsty, and still cold. The warehouse was chilly and damp, and hardly a suitable environment for a living human. Ami slowly rose from the pile. She would not dare go far, but she had to find water. There might be some in one of the other rooms of the warehouse. Hopefully, the creature would not be mad that she simply explored the place. As she slowly moved out of his Room of Horrors, she realized the warehouse was once perhaps used to make cars or something of the sort. There were machines and assembly lines everywhere, covered in wet rust. The smell was unbearably musty and tangy, and she found herself covering her nose with a long sleeve of her too-big shirt. The farther she went down, the more nervous she got. Despite it being the daytime (or at least she was pretty sure it was) there was little light here and it only got more and more dark the further she went. The sounds of dripping water kept her going though. Her thirst was incredible, the thought of water was the most wonderful thing in the world right now. At last, after a few more yards of walking in the huge abandoned building, she saw the source of the drip, coming down the walls and collecting into a rusted out bucket of some kind. Frowning, she knew the water in the bucket would not be suitable for drinking, but she walked over the small stream and let some of it trickle into her mouth, also getting her face wet in the process. The water tasted pretty bad, but she drank it anyway, hoping it was at least relatively clean. After quenching her thirst, she nearly jumped out of her skin as she suddenly heard a thump and a low growling.

_Oh god. He's back._

Although Ami was terrified, she quickly headed back to the room as fast as she could. She began to wonder if her search for water was the most stupid decision she had ever made. Maybe he _would_ be mad. Mad enough to end her life, and all because of her stupid curiosity.

Ami was almost to the room's entrance when she walked right into the creature's chest as he stepped out before her. Letting out a slight shriek despite herself, she quickly covered her mouth. After a few tense moments of silence, she averted her eyes, looking down at the floor.

"I...I was thirsty. I was just looking for water." She spoke in a whisper, still remembering to be as quiet as possible. The creature huffed, grabbed her arm, and shoved her back into the room. There, the crude light of a few candles lit the place. It was obviously not as early in the day as she had thought, it was now evening. He stared at her for a while, and jabbed a finger in the direction of the pile of clothes. Wordlessly, Ami went to it and sat down immediately.

She then watched him walk over to a pile of bodies, wrapped in bloody sheets. They looked fresh, these had to be his newest kills. It didn't surprise her much to see one of the victims, now strapped to the table, was still alive... albeit barely. He seemed to have fun with both kinds of prey, those he had already killed, and those he decided to bring home still writhing.

Ami fought to turn her head away, but morbid curiosity kept her staring. The creature hardly seemed to care, he grabbed the first wrapped body, tore open the sheets, and began his long ordeal of sniffing every inch of the body. Finally, using his own clawed feet this time, he tore open the midsection and began devouring the organs with incredible eagerness. While he ate, he made sounds of obvious pleasure as he smacked his lips and reached for another piece, dripping with copious amounts of blood. The urge to retch overcome her again, but Ami fought it back. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks, this creature, whatever it was, seemed like something that could just not be real, and yet here she was, watching it tear apart humans as if they were mere animals, and feeding on them with relish.

An animal. Was that what she was to this being? Just an animal to feed its unearthly appetite? Who was she kidding, anyhow? For all she knew, the monster only kept her alive for now because she was...entertaining. Or even a sex object, though he had yet to actually take her. When he was through and bored with her...she was certain she would just end up hanging on a wall, like all the rest.

Her hope was starting to diminish, and so was her sanity.

After a long while, the low sounds of the creature's feeding frenzy were becoming dulled in her ears. Somehow, she was falling asleep again. Despite the fact the clothes reeked, they were still comfortable and soft. She found herself drifting off, until finally, she was out.

It didn't last long however. However much time had passed she wasn't sure, but her eyes snapped open as she felt her legs being roughly forced apart. The creature was back to her, apparently done with its feeding for now, and was smelling her through the jeans. He had his nose practically buried in her crotch, and her cheeks reddened. It was embarrassing and yet strangely erotic at the same time. Slowly she moved her hands, reaching to unzip her jeans, and the creature stopped sniffing, watching her actions. Then she shimmied a bit to try and pull her pants down and succeeded to getting them down past her hips. Of course she wasn't wearing any underwear, she wouldn't put on someone else's underwear if someone paid her a million dollars. Especially the underwear of dead people.

The scent that seemed to assault the being's nose caused its eyes to roll back into his head briefly, then he sniffed her with even more intensity. Whatever she smelled like to him, he liked it...a lot.

It wasn't exactly something that made her feel any better. His sense of smell led him, she had learned that quickly. She also knew it told him exactly what he wanted to eat from his human victims.

_Is he going to eat me this time? It sure seems like it..._

Suddenly she noticed, with her cheeks turning crimson, that he was highly aroused. She saw the member poking through the white fluff of wiry hair between his thighs and quickly looked away. It was her first time truly seeing the genitals of a male in person...since she was young and lived the life of a hermit. Her whole life she had vowed to be single, men disgusted her anyway. In her own unfortunate experience, men had only wanted her for a one-night stand, an orgy, or some other sexual lust that caused her to lose hope in ever forming a relationship. Either she was just cursed with bad luck, or the men in her town were all pigs.

Maybe it was both.

She found the courage to look up at the creature's face, and he was grinning at her with obvious, wide amusement.

"Are you..." She wanted to talk to him, but it was incredibly hard to predict his mood. In one moment he would be grinning, in the next, possibly roaring in her face and tearing her throat out. What did she know? The fear this being could bring from her permeated every bone in her body. She was sure he was quite used to that reaction.

"Huuuman." He grunted, still grinning. It was odd how he spoke, drawing out the words.

She nodded at him, blinking. A thought crossed her mind, and she pointed at him with an inquisitive gaze.

He pointed to his chest in response, suddenly seeming to puff up with pride.

"Heradusss..."

_What in the hell was a heradus?_

Ami tried to think of what that could be, thinking about the many books she had read at her local library, but absolutely nothing came to mind. Whatever a heradus was, it was not something normally known to humans. Ami wondered if there were others, or if he was the only one left of his kind.

She tried to understand the point of his conversation. Why was he stating to her that she was a human?

Still, she tried to play along. Perhaps she could get more information out of him.

"Are you going to..." She hoped this was not the wrong question to ask, but she had to know if there was any hope she could cling to, because her mind was starting to barely cling to reality. "...eat me?"

The heradus narrowed his gaze, but incredibly shook his head.

"_Was_." He chuckled, exposing those horrible and wicked teeth in another leering grin.

Ami hated the long silence that often followed. It was painstaking trying to talk to this strange creature, who obviously had little use for words and took his sweet time when he did use them. But in her next move, she slowly began to undress, the unspoken message being her compliance.

Her willingness seemed to please the creature...greatly. He purred again, that low throaty growl that she had to admit had an erotic quality to it. Again her body surprised her with the reaction it caused, as she found herself actually wanting to feel his tongue again on her sensitive flesh but desperately trying to fight the thought from her mind.

He reacted for her, tearing the remainder of her clothes away and once again exposing her skin to the chilly and dank air of the lair, causing goosepimples to rise all over her arms and legs.

"Breeeder..." he said, smelling her again, and grinning wide. "Breeeder." Ami only blinked helplessly, watching him as he seemed to stare right through her very soul again. After another long pause, he gave a slight nod, as if answering some unspoken question. "Amiii."

Eyes widening, her breath caught.

He had used her name, and in that moment, she knew the creature's perception of her had changed entirely. She was no longer just a human to him...just food.

She would not die.

She would become a breeder.

And her life, her ties to the human world...would be severed forever.

/

Being a breeder apparently meant endless attentions by the creature, wanted or not. It seemed the days passed in a blur, as the heradus, something she could still not even define, took her again and again, day and night. It was hardly romantic or even affectionate, he often simply grabbed her on a sudden whim and threw her onto a table or some other uncomfortable surface where he would then proceed to roughly have his way with her. If she whimpered, screamed, or squirmed, he only seemed to find more pleasure in it and thrust into her even harder. So she learned fast to be quiet and submissive, and then the sessions were at least more tolerable. The creature had a habit of howling out its eerie call with wings spread, sometimes flapping a time or two, at every reach of its own climax. But then in the next few moments, he would smell her all over, make a disgusted face at her as if something bothered him, and all but toss her like a ragdoll back onto her little "bed" of clothes from the victims.

Ami once again struggled to keep her mind sane. It was now a sunny day, she could tell from just the barest amounts of sunlight somehow creeping into the dark abode of death. She had been lying down for some time in the eerie quiet, and examining her half-dressed body. There were bruises and marks all over her, and a constant aching in her nether-regions. It wasn't pain really, although she was quite sore from his rough handling, but she found herself wanting him to come back, and take her all over again. Not knowing whether to chuckle or burst into tears at this odd pull of emotions, she figured maybe her mind was truly going...or was already gone. How could she feel that way towards him? He had spared her life but on no certain terms.

And so far, whatever he was trying to accomplish, wasn't happening. She knew it and he knew it.

How long would he try...before he gave up and killed her?

That thought made the coming night even more frightening. At some time very late, perhaps one or two o'clock in the morning, he returned from a long period of hunting. After dragging in a big kill of nearly twenty bodies, he amazingly showed little interest in them and went straight for her. Ami saw him coming, and didn't like the changed feel in his expression. He looked at her as if unconvinced of his own decision, and was scraping his sharp fingernails together as he gazed at her. The wheels were whirring in his mind, and Ami knew she had better do something...anything...or her time was surely up.

What if a breeder...failed?

"I...I'm very hungry myself. You bring me very little food except what scraps you might find in backpacks or whatever, and I've been feeling...weak."

The creature snorted, and turned his head away, but she quickly spoke again, always keeping her voice soft. "Perhaps this is why it's not working...because my health is poor. You have to take care of me, or I'm not going to be a good breeder for you."

_I can't believe I just said all that._

This caused the heradus to turn his eyes back on her, regarding her curiously. She had made him think, and that might be enough to change his mind once again.

He then grinned wickedly, as if some mighty idea formed in his mind. He walked over to one of the bodies, dragged it over, and unwrapped it right in front of her. Ami tried hard to keep herself from gagging at the smell, despite the recent kill the body stunk already and was bloody all over. She could also smell death all over himself, even though he carried no scent of his own, he certainly carried the horrid scents of his kills.

The young man he unwrapped was not even peaceful looking, his face was contorted in horror and pain and it was obvious his death had been long and drawn out. Ami found tears forming in her eyes and looked up at the Creeper forlornly. Why was he showing her this?

The answer became horribly clear when he grabbed a bowl he had found in the gear of some campers (he tended to hoard all of the items he took back with his victims) and then worked with one of his favored blades to slice large slivers of flesh off the carcass and dump it into the bowl with a sickeningly wet squish. Ami had to look away, lest she see this for one more second and end up vomiting all over the place. After a few more minutes, he shoved the bowl in her very reluctant hands.

"Eeeat".

Ami stared back at him in horror, too shocked in the moment to get any response out of her mouth. How, _how_ could he expect her to be a cannibal and eat her own kind?

Tears streaming down her face she fiercely shook her head and shoved the bowl back at him. The Creeper stared down into the bowl in a rather humorous fashion, as if wondering what was wrong with it. He shoved it back at her.

"Freeesh. Eaaat."

Again Ami shook her head, this time with a whimper, and shoving it back at him even harder. "Are you...serious? I am a _human_, I'm not going to eat another of my own kind!"

He regarded her with that disgusted look again, but this time got up with the bowl and walked away. Ami sighed in relief as she sank back down into her clothespile, but found it difficult to stop the tears in her eyes and the nausea in her stomach.

For a while, there was total silence, save for the occasional return of the creature as he took each of his prizes, one by one. It seemed to take ages for him to finally finish whatever ghastly work he was doing on them, and in truth Ami really didn't want to know, she was glad to be in a room where he mostly did his art. Surprisingly it seemed the heradus was rather a clean creature and did all of its feasting (or most of it anyway) in the adjoining room.

At last, when he came back into the room, he walked briskly over to her and pulled her up from the clothes. In one fell swoop of his arm he cleared off his worktable, blades and other metal objects clanging all over the floor in a loud symphony of noise, and hoisted her up onto it. It seemed as if he was once again going to have his way with her, but instead he sniffed at her belly, intently, as if trying to figure something out. Ami felt herself grow dangerously lightheaded, the lack of proper food and water, and the emotional toil on her psyche were taking a huge toll on her. She would soon get very sick, or worse, if the Creeper didn't do something to aid her.

"Please...I need water. I'm so thirsty." In fact Ami's throat was so dry, that the unheeded words made her cough a little. The heradus went deathly still, staring at her.

"Don't you understand? Even humans will give food and water to their pet animals. How do you think I'm going to do this if you choose to ignore my needs?"

Ami figured that perhaps the creature just didn't understand, and by saying this she only hoped to help him to. But it was dangerous, sometimes when she talked too much it angered him and he'd force her mouth shut or painfully shove a hand over her mouth to silence her. Other times, he acted strangely, as if he couldn't figure out why she even talked at all.

He made little sense, but Ami knew she had to try, one way or the other, if she ever hoped to get out of this.

However utterly hopeless it seemed.

Finally, he slowly let go of her, allowing her to slide off the table. She very quickly gave a little distance between them, but he moved instantly and was up to her face once again.

Personal space was something he obviously knew nothing about.

"Pet..." he grinned, his reptilian eyes sparkling with twisted mirth. Then he looked about the room, and rooted through the camper's backpacks once again, coming up with a sealed plastic water bottle. Ami found it strange how she could drool over the sight of water, but she was, and crept over to him. He handed it to her, and within seconds she yanked off the cap and was guzzling it down. The Creeper watched her until she had polished it off, and Ami heaved a great sigh of relief.

Her stomach felt a little heavy, but dammit was that the best drink of water in her life.

"Thanks..." she said, very softly. "Now...is there anything to eat in there? For _humans_ to eat?"

Her captor ignored the question, intently watching a drop of water fall from her lips and down her neck. It made her own body go rigid, to see him analyzing her in such a fashion. She had no idea why, and it unnerved her. His mind was like a complex weave of chaotic thoughts, and his next move or action was anyone's guess.

He shoved the backpack in her arms, and she looked through it, but only found half of a protein bar. It tasted horrible, some nasty concoction that was supposed to be chocolate, but at least it was something. "I'll need more than this..." She paused, and pulled out a twenty dollar bill from the backpack. After searching some more, she found a few loose coins on the bottom.

"You see this? It's money...I could use it to buy food. If you would let me go outside-"

He grabbed the money from her with a snarl, and shoved her already aching back up against the wall. The pressure was intense, she almost couldn't breathe and tried hard to keep herself calm.

"_Staaay._" He growled in a deep, fierce fashion that he had not used before.

"I-I will come back...I swear it. But I need food-"Ami choked out the words, still finding it difficult to get air into her lungs.

"_I_ will get it." Four words. An entire sentence. This was a night for surprises. The creature didn't seem to envy humans and their ability to talk, but he chose to do so himself whenever he felt like it, which was as Ami learned, quite a rare thing indeed. The fact that she could get him to talk at all was still a great marvel to her. He didn't have to listen to her or tolerate this living victim in his lair, but he did, and it was a constant source of mystery and fascination. The one and only thing that kept her sanity going.

"_Pet._" he said, the hardness in his voice finally relenting as she felt the pressure against her chest mercifully ease off as he adjusted just slightly. Doing this caused him to inadvertently brush against her in an erotic fashion however, and she couldn't help the sudden flash of need coursing through her. It was uncanny how the Creeper sensed this immediately, he breathed in deep and made all kinds of throaty, growling noises that sent unbidden shivers down her spine. In the next moment he was roughly forcing down her pants, and Ami did nothing to fight him. As much as she was hating herself for thinking it, she _wanted_ him, and no matter how hard she tried, this feeling would not go away.

He gyrated his hips a bit until he found her entrance and thrust into her in his usual animalistic, primal fashion. And although it was quite uncomfortable to have one's butt constantly banged up against a hard stone wall, the pleasure built within her quickly.

Odd, how the Creeper never seemed to mock or or do his usual chuckle of amusement when this happened. If anything, he seemed to yearn for it as much as she did, and not once did he fail to notice when she was feeling this way.

/

The rest of that night went quietly, the Creeper did not disturb her, and occasionally during her sleepy stupor she thought she heard him leaving, hearing the flapping rustle of wings slowly fading into the night. By morning, the lair was eerily quiet once more, save for the constant dripping of water in the background. Slowly getting to her feet, Ami stepped off the pile of clothes only to nearly trip over a large brown paper bag...two of them in fact. She looked in them and found all kinds of food, from loaves of bread to cans of tuna with pop-tops. Smiling with a little gasp of surprise she dove into the bags and nearly squealed with delight to actually find some _candy_ in one of them, there were bags of M&Ms and gummy bears.

_I wonder where he got all of this from? It seems fresh enough..._

Looking at the dates on the cans Ami discovered the food was not expired, so either he raided a grocery store (she could imagine the screaming hoards of people jamming the automatic doors to get out) or...more likely...the home of a victim.

The thought made her frown as her appetite somewhat diminished. This was not _her_ food, but the stolen goods from some poor, unfortunate family. It didn't seem right, but with a sigh she resigned to eat it anyway. If she didn't she would only get weaker, and she had to remind herself of her ultimate goal of survival.

A tuna fish sandwich, two apples, and a handful of cookies later, Ami lied back down on her makeshift bed with a contented sigh. After such a long time without a proper meal, the food was marvelous. She wanted to go outside, but feared the creature's wrath, so instead she grabbed a book to read. There were many strewn about the place, some new, some half-read with bookmarks labeled "John", "Sally", or "Eddie's stuff". Ami frowned, it was a constant source of sadness to be among the possessions of the dead, and mustering up all her will, she fought the emotions away.

/

Many hours later as the sun was setting, he returned, his arrival quite obvious since the sounds of his large rusted truck and screaming victims followed him wherever he went. Snorting and huffing in his usual fashion, he would set about his work. Ami kept her nose buried in the book, forcing herself not to pay any attention. A while later, he came back to her again. Seeing his clawed feet set in front of her, she slowly looked up his tall frame until she met his eyes. The instant she did, she could _feel_ that he was going to say something.

"Eeeat..._human_ food?"

She nodded, nervously smiling at him. "Thanks for that. How often can you get it?"

He grinned, kneeling down to her level. "Ask". Was his only response.

Nodding in understanding, Ami found herself not knowing what to do next again. Whenever he began staring at her relentlessly, her mind would go blank and she would feel utterly helpless, and she hated it with a passion.

She looked at the bags of food that remained, remembering there was a package of raw chop meat in there. Why he had done that, she wasn't sure, there wasn't anything to cook with. Did she dare ask him for pots and pans?

_Next I'll be asking him for a damned tea set._

"Tea?" The creature cocked his head, gazing at her still. Ami's eyes widened...she hadn't said that out loud, had she?

Suddenly...it all made sense. He was _telepathic._

_You can hear my thoughts? _she asked, while directly looking in his eyes.

The creature's head spines lifted slightly and he grunted in delight, obviously pleased with this mental question.

_Dull-witted little human, aren't you?_

The words, still deep and raspy sounding, were like painful bee stings directly on her brain. Why she could suddenly hear him now, she didn't know, but she almost wished she couldn't. Still...this was...communication. Better than a few slowly growled out words at a time.

_Maybe. But excuse me if I've never heard of a heradus before or have any clue how you work._

He chuckled, getting back to his taloned feet and heading back towards the favorite part of his lair.

_Would you stay, and talk to me? _Ami bravely asked, frowning as she watched him walk away...yet again. Each time he did, the loneliness would drive her crazy. It was crazy enough that she actually _wanted_ his company, and yet, despite everything she found herself unable to hate him.

The creature froze in his tracks and looked over his shoulder. _Hungry. Must eat now. _He left it at that, and disappeared from sight.

Still testing out this new telepathic ability, Ami kept trying to converse, even if he was out of sight, seeing if he could still hear her.

_Will you tell me what your name is?_

There was a clear feeling of irritation, but the physically painful answer came. _I am Creeper._

_No, that's what humans call you. What do you call you?_

_Heradus._

Ami sighed in exasperation. Either he was toying with her or he really didn't understand her question.

_Listen...I'm a human, but my name is Ami._

_You are breeder. __**Pet**__. _The following chuckle was also in her mind.

Ami narrowed her eyes, he definitely was toying with her, and certainly not taking her seriously. _I'm not your pet. _

The conversation ended then, as there was no more response. Ami ground her teeth in frustration, as this mental doorway meant nothing if he wouldn't tell her anything. And she was certain he knew that, reveling in her frustration.

/

_End Chapter 2 I have so much of this story written already but I am carefully going over it and adding things. It just keeps getting longer and longer! Expect more very soon, promise! ;)  
><em>


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

/

When the as of yet unnamed heradus returned, Ami was desperate for his attention. Being left alone with death all around her was more than she could bear, far worse than any fear she had of her inhuman abductor. She wanted to talk to him most of all, but her body yearned for him as well. That part she was getting used to, figuring it was all part of being a breeder. _Because if I believe that's really me, I'll go crazy for sure._

She called to him, even while he began feeding in the other room. All she got was a somewhat amused feeling with an intense hunger pang with it.

_Am I feeling what he's feeling?_

Sighing she tried to wait for him, but the loneliness only grew worse by the day.

Looking down she rubbed her belly, it seemed slightly bigger but she was probably imagining things, the Creeper had not made any inclination that she was successfully pregnant yet, and he would know, she was sure of that.

_I'm so lonely, and bored here._

_You want me to play with you? _Came the frightening response. _Go outside. Run. I will chase. _She could hear him chuckling in the other room.

_You sadistic bastard. Why do you do this? I didn't do anything to you._

He didn't respond to that, and Ami sighed again, reaching for another book, but even books were getting impossible to read anymore. She was going crazy, how would she survive nine months of this even if she did get pregnant?

_Please tell me your name._

Nothing. Having the mental gift was useless since he only communicated with her when he felt like it. She wondered if he could even tune her out whenever he pleased.

After some time she made the final decision that she was either going to win this creature's complete favor or die trying. Getting to her feet, she bravely entered the "feeding room".

/

Inside she found him sewing up one of the bodies, a ritual that never seemed to end...going on and on like a madness. In fact, Ami was quite certain he was indeed insane, his mind showed many signs of it. She was no official psychiatrist but the subject had been pretty interesting in school, and she remembered a lot of the lessons. All of his little ways and mannerisms read like a book...clearly his mind was not sound...and she figured this mission of hers was probably suicide if she just ended up seriously pissing him off.

"Hey..."

He snorted and jerked around, eying her up and down a bit before his fierce gaze locked solidly on hers. She did not like the way he dropped his tools as if extremely irritated by her intrusion.

Remembering quickly that speaking out loud wasn't necessary and only served to annoy him, she quickly switched to the mind voice. _I can't take this much longer. You understand that, don't you?_

He stared forever, it seemed, but finally responded.

_Bored?_

_Yes, that too, but the loneliness I mean. When you're gone all I have are these dead bodies and they freak me out. You're the only company I have, so why do you leave me alone for so long?_

_Hunting. _Came the emotionless answer, as if it was the simple reason for everything.

_I __**know **__that. But I'm asking for more of your attention, that's all._

Something seemed to click with those words. He grinned widely, but Ami felt a strong sense of apprehension at that expression.

_More mating? _His grin remained as he approached her, starting up that incredibly exotic purring that she could not resist if she tried. Ami stepped back, he wore no pants, only a ratty duster, so his growing arousal was quite obvious. The talk of sex was never a boring topic to the Creeper, in fact, just like a typical guy, the subject was always welcomed.

She shook her head helplessly. _That's not exactly what I'm going for here._

_Want more attention. You said. _He snorted lightly in obvious amusement. Ami wasn't so sure she could share his endless twisted sense of humor.

_Ok, look howabout this?_

He tilted his head and blinked, a comical gesture at times, but it meant she had his full attention.

_We could do...that...more if you'd like. But in return, I only ask for a little conversation._

The Creeper blinked a few more times, then huffed. _Talk of what?_

_Well you of course. I have so many questions._

He seemed to lose interest immediately and got closer, breathing in deep her scents which he so loved, like an obsessed drug addict.

Despite this, Ami didn't struggle as he pushed her against a rare bare spot of the wall and held her roughly, looking anxious and more than intent on devouring her...in an entirely different way.

_Are there more of your kind?_

He quickly met her eyes again and went still. _Were. _He looked away, as if remembering something. _Some._

_Where in the world did you come from? Have you been here the entire time?_

_Here. My territory._

_Poho County?_

_Names. It is the Old Land. Nothing more. Mine. All of it. You are here, you are mine._

_I've gathered that much. _Ami was truly fascinated...the Old Land? It was something but what did it mean? She snapped back from her thought as he was removing her clothes, or more like tearing them. It was a good thing he had plenty of spares for her.

Inside, Ami was grinning slightly. She had gotten some answers, so maybe he had agreed to her little deal.

_Do you have a name then? Or will you never tell me?_

He didn't answer, so she tried something else.

_Why do you hang us on the walls like this?_

He paused, for a moment, then snorted.

_No more questions._

_Then you will not have me. _It was a brave and very much stupid response, but Ami had to test this out, and she pulled away from him in a manner he truly did not expect. Grunting with a slight snarl, he whirled around to grab her arm but she managed to duck away and crouched into a small hole in one of the walls where he could not reach her. She had seen that hole, but before would never dare use it. Now however, it was all or nothing. She just hoped she hadn't made a huge mistake.

The creature howled in anger and raked his claws on the stone near the hole, his eyes narrowed and dangerous as ever.

_Come out!_

_No._

_Come out now!_

_NO._

The head crest rose, and he screamed even louder, a gawd-awful piercing roar that forced Ami to cover her ears. After a few minutes all went silent. Ami held her ground and would not come out. She peered up to find him...grinning again.

_Play game. Little mouse. Tempt the cat._

Huh?

_You are seducing me. Clever. Not so dull-witted._

This was not quite the response she hoped to achieve. Not knowing how to respond to this she debated whether to come out now or stay where she was.

_Playing hard to get._

_I said I wanted answers to questions. This is not playing or seducing. I am saying you must answer more questions or I will stay here._

He laughed, making her feel so insignifant as usual, like it truly was all a funny game to him. _You stay there...you will starve. _

_Well...yeah but-_

_Must come out, or die. I will kill you._

Ami froze in fear, his words had changed from mirth to a dark seriousness, although he was still grinning somewhat. But she had to play him at his own game. If she was so important as a breeder, killing her would just be foolish.

_What if you kill me and kill the baby?_

_No baby. Not yet. _

_Them maybe you're wrong. Maybe I'm not a breeder._

_Not wrong. Smell it. Wonderful smell. Smells like...meat. Good._

_Please stop tormenting me like this. If I'm going to be around a long while, we should be more than just...well whatever we are._

He suddenly came close to the hole, catching her off guard since she had crept forward a bit, and reached in, seizing her arm and roughly dragging her out.

"Ow..."

_No more games. Tormenting...of course I torment you. I torment all humans. _

_But why?_

_You hate. I hate back. _He growled, fierce and angry now.

_What are you talking about? I never said I hated you._

_Your kind. Hated Goliathus. Tormented __**him**__. _He whirled her around nearly twisting her arm out of its socket as she gasped in pain, not yet registering the name he had revealed to her. Snarling still he pointed to the hanging bodies, all expressing scenes of their horrible deaths. _I preserve torment. That's why they are on walls. I look at them and remember their suffering._

Ami went pale, trembling and feeling weak as her blood pressure dropped. She felt like she was going to faint any second.

_See now? Know now? No more questions, pet. Little mouse, who squeaks and hides in holes._

He forced her down onto the floor in a swift maneuver and plunged himself inside of her, grunting as he thrust hard. Ami nearly did pass out, she had not quite recovered from those last, chilling words about torment. The pain from him being more rough than normal didn't even register. Nothing registered. She found her breath getting weaker, and suddenly everything went black.

/

_Wake up, mouse. Food. Eat._

Ami struggled hard to get her eyes opened. Her head was still pounding and she felt slightly woozy, but was rather surprised to find herself in the creature's lap. He was sitting on his tall stool near that horrible, bloody table and staring down at her with a strange look in his eyes.

_What happened?_

_Foolish of me. You are weak. Eat now._

He pushed her off of him and onto her feet, causing Ami to nearly fall and fight to keep her balance, her head still reeling. He grabbed a grocery bag, apparently a new one, filled with more food. This one even had bags of peaches and some celery sticking out of the top.

_Eat now. Mother._

Ami was gratefully taking the bag and getting ready to sit in her usual spot when she quickly met eyes with him.

Did he just say...?

_Mother?_

_Yes. Seed has taken. Eat now, I must go. _He turned to leave, but she quickly grabbed his arm, her own action greatly surprising her.

_Don't leave me again, dammit._

_Must hunt, stupid human. Hunger is pain._

The way he said this was both anger and sadness, but Ami was moved by it. She never thought his cursed hunger was something painful, but then again, there were still a lot of unanswered questions. Like searching for buried treasure, she would have to keep digging.

_Well I'm tired of you leaving me for so long._

_Don't care. _He snarled lightly as if warning her.

_I'm carrying your child now, you wouldn't dare kill me._

He spun around, growling with intense, wide eyes.

_I could torture you! No need to kill._

Fresh tears welled up in Ami's eyes, she could quite literally feel his malice and hatred coming on like a fierce and fiery storm. She absolutely hated when she did that to him, it was not her intention to anger him and risk everything. Quickly wiping the tears from her eyes, she took a brave step closer

_I'm sorry, I don't mean it like that. Just...don't be gone so long this time, ok?_

He truly looked confused by her, even shaking his head. Then he suddenly grabbed her and took her outside. In an instant, they were airborne.

/

They were soaring through the air at an incredibly fast pace, and Ami could see nothing as it was night and there were clouds all about. They were very high up, and her scant clothing was hardly sufficient to keep her warm from the chill. She shivered, and the creature seemed to notice and dropped in altitude, heading for some mountains. She could clearly see some homes with little chimneys and smoke lazily trailing up into the sky.

_Good hunting here. Many tasty humans._

Ami tried to pretend she didn't hear him, but he had been talking more to her lately, wanted or not.

_You're going to wipe them all out eventually._

He snickered in a very cruel fashion. _Good. This is old-fashioned town. They think I am a god. Leave sacrifices. Virgins. _He chuckled again, Ami could even picture his toothy grin as she gazed down below.

_No other breeders? _Ami wasn't sure why she had asked that question.

He went silent for a while, the only sound being his wings whistling through the air before finally answering.

_No. Hard to find. Rare._

_You know, when you first found me, I'm sure you were going to eat me. You didn't sense it right away?_

He let out another chuckle. _I knew. Love to torment. Wanted your fear. Never planned to eat you._

Ami was going to say something else when he suddenly angled down and dropped like a stone, causing Ami to clutch her stomach and try to prevent heaving. They landed with a jarring motion and he released her. Somehow, she managed not to fall on her ass from that one.

_Now stay, mouse. Stay here._

She could only watch helplessly as he walked away. They had landed not too far from a small row of cottages, and the Creeper was sniffing the cold air noisily as he headed left. _What am I going to do? How can I stop him from doing this?_

Ami had been thinking about that for a long time, but it seemed impossible. He was so dead set on hunting...and almost without ceasing, that Ami wondered if he was ever _not_ hungry. All he ever did was eat, eat, and eat some more, and work on those bodies, tirelessly sewing and preserving and then dragging them up into their horrid, final resting places.

It was then she looked over to her right and saw the dog in the grass. A dead dog. Curious she walked closer to it and the body, while definitely in the stages of rigamortis, was slightly warm in some areas. This dog had only recently died. Why, she wasn't sure, but a rather crazy thought entered her mind. She stood by the dead animal and waited for him to return.

About an hour later he finally did, dragging the body of a young teenage girl with him. Her head swung about in a sickening fashion, clearly broken.

_Virgin. _He grinned, poking at her belly. _So they thought. But she was not virgin. _He poked again at her belly.

Ami stood like a stone, staring at the poor, unfortunate girl. She was so young, so beautiful. She had long rusty blonde hair that looked like it went down to her hips, and a model-like face. The fact that she had been pregnant didn't even matter, Ami was so overcome with sadness at her death it was all she could do not to give out a mournful cry.

_I suppose... _she started, struggling against the tears. _You'll eat her...?_

The Creeper answered by taking long, drawn-out breaths of her midsection, then tossing her down.

_No, nothing good._

_Then WHY did you kill her?_

He snorted, digging out a blade from his duster as he knelt by her corpse and began cutting off one of her fingers that had a ring on it. _No reason not to. Will look pretty on wall. She is good art._

That was it, Ami truly felt her sanity breaking. Then she saw the dog, and remembered her idea. With every bit of mental strength she could find, she held onto her last thread of sanity and got his attention again, remembering her idea.

_Look at this._

He tilted his head, eying the dog, then huffed.

_What of it?_

_It died very recently, plenty of good things in there, I'm sure. Why don't you eat the dog?_

Ami expected the creature to laugh or snort in disgust, but it did neither.

_Never tried._

_You've never eaten animals?_

He thought a long while on this, then shrugged. _Don't remember._

_So try it then, what could it hurt?_

The heradus eyed her, clearly suspicious. But he seemed to have made up his mind and went over to the dog, not showing much enthusiasm as he tore into it and went for all the choice organs. After he was done, Ami held her breath. She hadn't expected him to go for it that easily.

_So..?_

_Interesting. Good enough, but nearly tasteless._

_Humans are better? _Her heart sank.

_Delicious. _Came his reply, and with that answer he added a chilling purr in his remembered pleasure. Ami didn't know what else to say. The Creeper _could_ eat animals, but apparently he found humans far more appetizing.

How would she possibly convince him otherwise?

_Speaking of animals, you think maybe you could bring a deer for me sometime soon?_

He blinked, but then shrugged again. _Human food?_

_Yes, you could say that._

Back at the liar, the Creeper seemed anxious, hurrying more than usual with the task of hanging up his kill. The woman, true to his word, was not eaten, he merely preserved her and hung her up, keeping her eyes closed to make it look like she was sleeping. He placed her next to a man, with her head slightly resting on his shoulder, as if they were a couple. While Ami watched this, she furrowed her brow in confusion. Hadn't he said he loved to preserve torment?

_Mouse. _Great, this was now his new favorite term of endearment for her.

She watched him come down from the wall, finished with his work, and approach her with that look that was all too familiar.

_Uhm, you've already gotten me pregnant, remember? _She couldn't help but peer down and see his erect member, as he slowly forced her back against the wall...again.

_Must leave soon. _ He had lost some of that anxiousness, but was still tense. He rubbed himself against her in a primal sort of fashion. Ami sighed, she wasn't in the mood, but she wouldn't be stupid enough to fight him.

_Why? _Leaving this horrid place truly sounded wonderful, but Ami doubted the next Lair of Death would be any better. At least, maybe, it would be a bit more dry. She hoped so, anyway.

_Need nest, better home. Mother. _He rubbed her belly with incredible tenderness. It was enough to melt away some of her barrier of fear that had remained with her for days on end since her abduction.

_You seem awfully happy about it._

_Yes. Child. _He purred.

Ami frowned, feeling little but sadness now of her situation. _What happens to me after it's born?_

The Creeper looked up into her eyes and stared hard. _You will raise it._

Ami laughed, incredulous. _You mean YOU will raise it. You don't think I'm going to go out and hunt people for it, do you?_

To that, he said nothing. But he was still rubbing against her and Ami actually winced as he suddenly thrust into her, she was sore and her body rebelled.

Surprisingly he was not nearly as rough, perhaps because of his more pleasant mood. His tense body relaxed, as he growled and purred and continued to move eagerly against her.

In the midst of all of this Ami's mind wandered, and she thought of something he said not too long ago. It had finally dawned on her that he had used his name.

"_Hated Goliathus. Tormented __**him**_."

_Goliathus. _She thought it again in her mind, thinking it was actually quite a cool name. It seemed...suiting. But exactly _who_ had named him? It didn't seem like something he'd chosen himself, although she couldn't be sure of that.

But he'd been _tormented_? By who? He was so powerful and strong...a truly frightening, supernatural predator. Who in the world could ever bring him down long enough to torment him?

He continued to pound into her, getting more eager as he neared his climax. Ami winced, trying to bare it all until he finally grunted loudly in his orgasm, flexing those wings as usual. He pulled out slowly, causing the only sensation of pleasure from the whole union.

Too tired to care, Ami didn't move. But he kept looking at her.

_What?_

_You will raise the child. And then...others._

Ami's breath hitched, and then she coughed.

_But...you mean...you won't let me go eventually?_

He chuckled, exposing those horribly wicked and curved teeth. _Let you go? Let you go?_

He laughed...long, loud, and raspy like a smoker's bad lungs. _No one goes. No one escapes._

_But...I... _Ami found herself at a loss for words. The thought of being with this creature for the rest of her life...this creature who hated and killed without mercy, who reveled in torment and torture, and who used her like a whore to satisfy his every whim and only cared about her because she was a breeder... was a little more than overwhelming. The tears flowed freely down her face...and she openly wept.

One would think the Creeper would only grin in his usual leering fashion at this, but he stood, staring at her and seeming to lose all his malice. Ami couldn't be sure what this was...she highly doubted he had any compassion in his heart, but this look was odd indeed. This manner of his, that only she seemed to be able to bring out of him.

It was as if she kept pushing open some hidden doorway...slowly and surely...a little bit each time...each day.

They stood like this for a very long, uncomfortable amount of time. Finally, he said something.

_You will like new home. Better. More dry. _

She nodded, wondering about the new softness to these words.

_A bed maybe? No...pile of clothes?_

_No bed...but could make one. House. Old, old house in forest. Made of brick._

Ami sighed. _Well, it does sound better. But what difference does it make? You will take me where you want to._

He nodded, but still stared in her eyes, locking her into mental conversation. _Maybe so. But you will like it better there._

_Is that...important to you?_

He purred again. _You are sad. But...little mouse...you do not hate._

_Huh?_

_Hate. Disgust. Does not exist in you. Sad...freedom is gone. But do not hate Goliathus. _He trailed a long, sharp fingernail over her face.

He continued before she could even form another thought. _I do not hate you now, either. Good breeder. Does not fight._

His English was far from perfect, his sentences always fragmented or loosely put together in his chaotic thoughts, but this was a real attempt at some serious communicating. He was making it clear he didn't hate her...because she didn't hate him. This was something.

A very _big_ something, and Ami knew it. Some of her helpless feeling actually eased off.

Maybe it wasn't so impossible at all...to tame this heradus.

The next day Goliathus was true to his word once again, and was pacing outside of the warehouse door very early, flexing his wings as he kept looking up at the sky where the sun was barely showing past the mountains as it rose.

_Hurry human! Take too long!_

Inside, Ami was certainly hurrying, running back and forth as her bare feet padded along the floor, splashing into small puddles that were everywhere. She had an old green canvas bag in her arms and was stuffing as much clothes and items into it as she could. When you didn't have anything to your name, not even your own clothes to speak of, everything mattered. She was downright near hysterical at the thought of having to leave any of the precious human items behind, even a saltshaker with no salt left in it.

_My name is Ami, __**heradus**__, and stop rushing me, would you? You wake me up with a start and expect me to get ready in two minutes? You didn't tell me it would be today, or so early!_

Truly Ami was a bit irritated inside, she was still very afraid of him but he certainly had no manners to speak of, and when he wanted to do something, his patience was little. It was so frustrating because she knew she was being treated still as some puny creature under his clawed foot, and only important because of her cursed uterus.

Despite her anger towards him, he did not react as she might have expected. It still floored her how much he was talking lately. All telepathic of course, which was slightly less painful now, but amazing nonetheless. She was becoming more fascinated with him to a point that she worried it might just turn into an obsession.

Inside, she wondered how she really felt about him. He could be so cruel to her and yet...so tender at the most random of times...almost like he was _protecting_ her.

A guardian?

_Hey, a question for you._

_No questions! Hurry. _She could hear him still pacing outside the door, and huffed with a low growl.

_I'm almost done, promise...but I need this stuff and you know it. Now..tell me..did you ever guard anything? Like a gargoyle? You really look like one you know...these stone figures we humans sometimes like to put on tall buildings like churches._

She heard him stop, and when she turned to look, he was peering into the open doorway.

He looked down, staring at the floor for a while, his mind whirring again. This was a definite sign she had caused him to go deep into his memories, which he seemed to have trouble remembering.

_Cathedral. _He said, looking up at her with his cold, calculating eyes.

_Oh neat, a cathedral? You guarded one of those? Do you remember why?_

The Creeper huffed, still quite anxious and irritated, but he took a deep breath and sighed loudly. _I will tell you later._

_You promise?_

_I will promise you nothing, slow and dull-witted human! We go, NOW._

Ami sighed too, but she felt a bristle of fear at his loud mental demand and quickly hurried stuffing a few more things into the bag, then nervously stepped towards him.

Flying was awesome and ordinarily something she would enjoy, but the Creeper's habit of sometimes landing suddenly and making her feel like she was hurtling through the air without a parachute was not something so enjoyable. Still, she had no choice. He would not take no for an answer...that was for sure.

But still, her relentless curiosity persisted as she saw the rusty truck past his shoulder, parked a few yards beyond.

_What about your truck?_

He looked over his shoulder, and Ami was almost certain she saw a flash of something akin to sadness in his eyes, like he'd be leaving behind an old friend. But it was gone from his face as quickly as it came.

_Beatingu will be left here, for now. Child is more important. We go to somewhere very far and secluded, little mouse._

_This old house you spoke of? Made of brick?_

_YES... _he sighed again, sounding like a growl and a huff and Ami could tell his patience was extremely thin at this moment. Without any more questions, even though she had a ton, she stepped up close to him and he grabbed her tight up against his chest. The canvas bag, stuffed to the brim, was a heavy weight on Ami's back, but she wouldn't complain, she was thankful he was even letting her bring anything. With an incredible grip like a vice he stepped away from the door and fanned out his impressive wingspan. Ami always felt such thrill at the sight of them, they were so magnificent...great and vast appendages with a hooked claw on each of the bony digits.

He did not run, or head for a cliff. He merely bent his legs, leapt, and was airborne with a few mighty thrusts of his wings.

/

End Chapter 3


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

_Thanks to those who are reviewing! Remember, reviews=encouragement=faster chapters. ;)_

/

The flight seemed to go on, and on, and on...and not once did Goliathus seem to tire. He just stared on, straight ahead, intent on getting to wherever he was going. Ami, on the other hand, was facing down and could see the land rushing past them. The scenery was breathtaking, they would pass over long, winding country roads, mountains, and sparkling lakes. She wondered if anyone saw them, but it seemed to her they were invisible. Even when he passed low, as if looking for something or catching a scent, nobody saw him. However, he was not going through largely populated areas, either. He seemed to prefer forest and the great expanse of landscape that was of yet still uninhabited. Where were they anyhow? Were they still in upstate New York where her cabin in the woods had been? Or a different state altogether? As they flew on still, Ami was sure they weren't in New York anymore, nor could she tell what direction they were heading in, although she was pretty certain that wherever they were going, it was going to be utterly remote. She hated feeling alone, and if the creature were to continue abandoning her for days, sometimes a week at a time...she was sure she was going to go stark raving mad.

At some point, Ami grew tired, and dozed off. A while later she jerked awake, to find they were still flying, and now, there was nothing but water beneath them, in every direction. Gasping, she looked behind her, and saw some fading landscape that was just barely still visible.

Oh god, they were crossing an ocean?

The wind picked up, she could smell the salt air and saw the clouds overhead. They didn't look too serious, but Ami knew the ocean was as unpredictable as the creature holding her was.

_Where are we going? We have to cross an ocean?_

_Vast water. Yes._

_But...why?_

_Because I choose to._

Ami sighed. _But I'm thirsty and hungry. How much farther do we have to go?_

Goliathus snorted slightly. _Days. Three sunrises, maybe._

_We're...going to fly over this ocean for days? _Ami could scarcely believe what she was hearing.

_No, vast water take maybe one more day. Rest of land travel longer._

Ami felt afraid, she didn't like this and how was she going to eat, drink, go to the bathroom or even sleep properly with him just flying on for days?

_What about you? You have to eat, right?_

He tightened his grip on her a bit. _I ate much, before we left. _Ami reluctantly thought of the large kill she had witnessed only days before._ Hungry yes, but will feast when we get there. Plenty of humans around._

_But...what about me? _

_You pack any water? Human food?_

_Yes, some. But you wouldn't let me finish packing..._

_I find food for you, pet. Do not worry. Water in bag, will get it._

Ami suddenly felt terrified as he loosened his grip, she almost thought that for one moment he was going to drop her. But with amazing strength he merely wrapped one arm around her and held tight, while the other worked into the bag and managed to grab one of about six water bottles she had stuffed into her supplies.

_Here, take. Now be quiet._

Obeying she fell silent, but gratefully took the water from his large, clawed hand and carefully twisted off the cap, doing her best not to drop the bottle or spill the water. She drank about a quarter of the much needed moisture and then put the cap back on and held the bottle tight. Losing it was not something she could afford to do, and she was more than grateful he was pretty much a steady, solid flier. They were bobbing slightly with each powerful wingbeat, but he still did not seem to tire.

And so...they flew on.

/

Ami awoke from a fitful sleep. Her muscles were sore from such an odd, hanging position, and it was a wonder she could sleep at all. Just as her eyes were opening, she felt him angling downwards. She held her breath for a moment as they landed, but much more smoothly this time. The ground seemed soft and great clouds of what she realized was sand rose into the air as he used his wings to break from the landing.

_Where are we? Is this it?_

_No...not nearly. This is small island. For you to rest, I will hunt._

_Uhm...I don't think there are humans here._

_No. But there are creatures of the vast water._

_You're going to catch fish?_

_Yes, easy to find. Easy to catch. Now stay here, make fire._

What that he was back in the air with a mighty whoosh, covering Ami was sand. She coughed and spat and brushed it out of her hair, swearing at him. Quickly she took the opportunity to search around for a place to relieve herself. Then she rooted through her bag to find her matches and got up to look for something she could burn. The light of day was quickly fading, she peered over some palm trees to see the sun in the cloudy sky, its rays peeking through and creating an eerie, greyish sunset. Sighing she set to work gathering some dried grasses and whatever other sparse things she could find, and made a small but suitable fire.

The heradus took a while, but he came back with a surprising and huge catch. A pelagic fish in his arms, still alive and struggling, and what looked like remnants of a seal in his jaws.

_Are __**they**__ tasty enough? _She asked immediately, looking at him incredulously as he threw down the huge fish near his feet and quickly held it down with his talons.

She winced as she watched him gulp down the rest of the seal like a snake, the huge lump disappearing from his throat moments later as it went down.

_Salty. But good enough when needed. This big fish, for you._

_Uhm, thanks...but ...what do I do with it? I've never done this before, and I don't think I have a proper knife in here... _she rooted through the bag and shook her head at him.

He sighed, as if frustrated, and rent the fish open as he pulled back his talons on the scaly hide. _There, cut for you. _

Ami lifted a brow at him, but reached over and pulled the fish from him. She used a stick and attempted to make a sort of shish-ka-bob with the flesh. It cooked quickly, and the Creeper watched her curiously as she tasted it.

It was marvelous, and she greedily chewed it down while reaching for more to cook.

_Why cook meat? Better raw. _He said finally, after he watched her do this a few times.

_Because I don't like meat raw, and I could get sick._

_Sick?_

_Yes, you know, like colds or flu? Illness. Germs. You never get sick?_

He gave her an odd look, but seemed to comprehend. _No. Not get sick._

Ami shook her head at him. _You're amazing. So frightening and overwhelming, but amazing all the same._

He knelt down, still watching her eat, clearly fascinated by the fire as it cooked the fish. He seemed to be watching every nuance of what she was doing, although Ami was getting quite used to it by now.

After several long minutes he looked up at her, and their eyes met. She blinked at him, his expression had gone soft again, and it was so odd to see that menacing stare actually look like something other than death itself.

_You thought magnificent. _He said, quietly this time. Ami thought she had merely imagined the words for a moment, but then remembered what he was referring to. _Well yes. Your wings...they are...I mean... _she found herself staring down into her small fire, blushing slightly. Having eaten enough fish, she was no longer hungry, and in fact, a sudden queasy sensation was quickly building. Right away she wondered if it was bad food, but she knew that fish was plucked fresh from the ocean. Still, the nausea persisted.

_Oh, I suddenly don't feel well._

_Sick?_

_Yeah, maybe. _

Goliathus seemed to think on that a moment, but he huffed in irritation. It was clear he wanted to get moving.

_Can we sleep here for the night? I feel strange. My stomach hurts._

_You say raw meat make you sick. But cooked meat made you sick._

_No, no I think it's because of another reason. Look, can we just stay here and then we can leave in the morning, I just want to sleep, and -_

Suddenly Ami felt dizzy and felt her stomach heave. She quickly turned her head and promptly threw up her entire dinner. A few moments of silence, then she coughed and retched again. Afterwards, she felt better, but oh so tired. The Creeper made not a sound, only stood up and looked about the island.

_We stay. You rest._

_Thank you. _She was going to ask about some kind of bed they could make for her to sleep on, when he lied down and lifted her up slightly so he could wrap his wings about her. His grip on her was tight, as if she might try and run away in the night, as if there was anywhere to go to. She found herself pressed up against his chest and marvelling at how warm he actually was. It made him seem so, so _normal_...that if she just closed her eyes and imagined him to be a man she could believe it. But she would open her eyes, and there it was, that thick, rough grey hide, the claws, the spines, the wings.

Those frightening teeth, the cold, ice blue eyes that were still open and gazing up at the stars. She knew he would not sleep...the closest he ever got to that was mere resting, like he was doing now. He'd done it before, although never with his wings wrapped about her like this.

_Guardian. Protector. You __**are**__ protecting me._

Ami wasn't speaking to be heard, but she could hear and feel a slight rumble in his chest. She put one hand there, was there a heartbeat? Yes, there was. Steady, slow, and strong, like an elephant.

Feeling strangely warm and safe for the first time, Ami felt bolder and tried to get more information out of him before she fell asleep.

_Goliathus. What was this cathedral you spoke of?_

_Sleep, human._

_Please, tell me._

_Old home, long time ago. First lair. _

_But you guarded it, right? For who? Was it something like a king, or a prince? _She yawned. _A princess? _For some reason it made her think of a fairy tale, although the idea was truly absurd.

He snorted, and seemed unwilling to answer. Ami sighed heavily, she so wanted to learn from him, but he was like a wall that was impossible to break down. Perhaps she ought to try a different tactic.

_You said you hated humans, that they tormented you. How is this even possible?_

_What did you mean by it?_

Still, nothing.

Ami whimpered as her emotions rose, frustrated and longing to connect with him.

_Goliathus, please. Talk to me._

He snarled, and seemed to radiate aggression. _Sleep. _

_You won't tell me about your old home?_

_You need sleep, we will leave in morning. No more talking. _He said curtly, and a single claw from his right hand threatened to puncture her skin as he dangerously scraped down her side.

_I thought you said you didn't hate me. _The shiver of fear that coursed through her couldn't be helped.

_If you do not stop, I will leave. You will sleep alone. And cold. _He growled, long and deep, and pressed that claw harder against her skin.

Ami sighed again, and choked back a sob.

So cruel...he could be so, so cruel. And yet she knew now, or at least she really wanted to believe... that this was the Creeper, and not the real creature within.

If this was to be her life, then she was damned she was going to live the rest of her days, alone and afraid, and made to feel inferior. She was going to_ find _the real Goliathus...and bring him back. With that thought in her mind, she fell asleep.

/

Ami awoke to find it was bright daylight, and the sun was hot against her skin. She yawned, rubbed her eyes, and dully looked around as consciousness settled back in. Her captor was nowhere to be seen, but Ami figured he was probably out hunting. The thought of more fish however, made her gag. Right now, anything of the seafood variety was anything but appetizing. Her stomach seemed very sensitive lately, and looking down, she noticed it looked a bit rounder, too. Slowly she got to her feet, and let herself have a nice stretch, which was somewhat painful due to her sore, tired muscles. What harm would a nice walk do? The sea air was fresh and warm, much better now that the sun was out. The blue water sparkled, and the swaying palm trees betrayed the feel of a real paradise. But as she looked around she saw just how small this island was. She walked out past patches of rocks and tall, dry grass only to find she was nearly already on the other side. It was a tiny piece of land amongst a huge expanse of water. She felt small and insignificant, just like this island.

There was a rushing sound of wind, and Ami looked up in time to see the heradus approaching, swooping down from the sky with taloned feet outstretched towards the sandy ground. He had nothing with him, but blood covered his body in various places and Ami knew he had found humans this time...somewhere. The sudden thought struck her hard.

_Found food. _He said, almost smugly.

_A boat...or a ship, right?_

_Yes. Trapped and too easy. No fun, no challenge. _He chuckled to himself, but Ami, as usual, didn't share in his amusement. She frowned at him, and he cocked his head at her.

_Mouse is well?_

_Can you call me Ami? You did, once..._

_We go now, pet. No more resting. Will fly to old house, two more suns._

_Ami. My name is Ami. _She persisted, jutting her chin out. _You are Goliathus, and I am Ami. I am not your __**pet**__, and I'm not a mouse, either._

Huffing, he reached out and grabbed her with one hand, while shoving the canvas bag into the other. _Go now._

_Fine, I won't use your name either. I'll just call you Creeper, or heradus. _

_Don't care. Quiet now, little mouse._

Ami wanted to scream, but she fought it back as he got a tight grip and within moments they were back in the sky...again.

/

It seemed to take forever to cross the ocean and find the mainland again, but when they did, Ami was relieved. The sight of forests, mountains, and hills again made her smile and vanish some of her frustration. She slept on and off in odd torrents of fitful dreams and exhaustion, waking only occasionally to pester him into giving her more water or some snacks that still remained in the bag.

After several more hours she prayed to see that house, somewhere, anywhere. Then finally, they flew low over the crest of many coloring trees to a brick house, barely seen amongst the overgrown flora and fauna. It was indeed a very old style home, it looked almost ancient. But it was such a wonderful, beautiful sight after such long hours of flying, that Ami couldn't help but feel happy. As they quickly neared and he dropped in altitude, Ami saw a long winding path covered in weeds leading from the house and up a high hill. It was odd to think that once this was someone's home...she wondered if it were a hermit once living out all the way out here on his own, or maybe even a family...

_Home now. We are here._

_I couldn't be more thrilled. _Her tone was sarcastic, even though deep inside she really was happy.

They landed, and he instantly shoved her away towards the open doorway of the dilapidated brick house.

_Starving... _he growled, seeming to suddenly grow very fierce and threatening. He focused those cold eyes on her and Ami could practically feel the icy chill coursing down her spine. _I will go hunt. You stay here, and do not wander._

Ami wanted to protest at already being left alone, but dared not say a word. When he was hungry, he was not a pretty character, and she knew better than to test him in that kind of mood.

_Okay. I'll be right here and I'll do some...uh...housekeeping. _She frowned, looking at the absolute mess before her. Before Ami could even turn back around to him, he was already gone, flapping through the sky and wheeling high over the trees to the right.

Resigning herself Ami stepped into the house after pulling away a bunch of weeds and vines from the doorway, and set to work. If this was going to be her new home for god knows how long, than she was going to try and make the best of it.

/

When he returned some hours later, Ami had already cleared out one of the rooms of overgrown weeds, creeping vines, and mouse droppings. She used a crude broom she had fashioned from a sturdy stick and bunches of leaves tied to it with twine from her bag. Also she had made a makeshift bed for herself with the clothes again, it would have to do for now and was better than sleeping on a hard, cold floor. The house had very little too offer other than its stone walls, the downstairs had three rooms, all bare, save for one rickety looking rocking chair, of all things. The upstairs had two rooms, also bare. There were no shutters, no windows (just open holes) and no door. There was, thankfully, and old style fireplace, it even had a hearth. But that was it, and nothing more. Ami wasn't sure what she had been expecting, a nice sofa and loveseat? A stocked kitchen?

Still, she had hoped for more than this.

Walking outside slowly, she carefully made her way over to her captor, who was once again surveying his domain, or at least, that's what she assumed he was doing.

_I suspect you found what you needed. _It wasn't a question but a sad statement, and Ami didn't really want to think about it. She wondered if he'd line the house's walls with bodies, and the thought made her shiver horridly.

_Plenty._

_You knew about this house so I take it you've been here before._

_Yes._

_Then where, I mean-_

_Hang them there, in cave. _He pointed, answering her unthought question. She followed his finger and looked up a craggy mountainside nearby, making out the entrance just barely. The sense of relief that she would not have to be in the same place as where he killed...and ate...was a blessing. There was at least...that.

_I think you are right. I will like it better here. Will we stay...for a long time?_

_Until child comes...maybe longer. Will think of it then. Must not be discovered._

She nodded, understanding, although she wished for far more from him in the way of conversation, she didn't press it and walked towards the house. He suddenly stood in her way, edging towards her, and Ami backed away, timidly.

_What is it? _She looked down, afraid to look in his eyes.

_You smell...wonderful. _He started up that wonderful purring, so throaty and sultry, that Ami couldn't stop the blush that immediately surfaced on her cheeks. She wanted to believe that this was the reaction a breeder was _supposed_ to have, but that was becoming a serious doubt in her mind.

_It's me, I know it is. Good god, could I actually be attracted to him? _She hoped he didn't pick up on that thought, some were just too private. He didn't seem to, but drew nearer and grabbed her suddenly, pulling her close against him in an uncomfortable fashion. His hardening erection was obvious since it was pressed against her abdomen. She sighed, trying to pull away from him just slightly so she could breathe properly.

_You don't have to be so rough with me, I'm not going to fight you._

He huffed with his usual, leering grin. _This not rough. Trust me. You want to play rough? I show you. _His following chuckle was not very assuring. Ami backed away some more, and shook her head at him.

_I'd rather not. _

He laughed, obviously finding her a constant source of his amusement. She gave only a stern look in response, but it didn't seem to phase him. He came closer again and once again breathed her in. Exactly what was it, she wondered, that he found so intoxicating? Her body odor? (She was sure she had plenty of that...when was the last time she had a shower?) A certain smell of a body part? Shuddering, she forced away that train of thought.

_Well, little mouse, you clean up your new house. Get comfy. I will fix up cave._

She huffed slightly to herself. The place wasn't "comfy" in the slightest, with nothing but bare walls and eons of dust. _Fix up?_

_It needs work. _He looked over at the entrance as he thought the answer. _Been a long time._

_How long?_

_Not sure. Many years. I don't count them._

Ami blinked. _Exactly how old are you?_

He scuffed a foot on the ground, still looking at the cave. _You ask a lot of questions. _

_Because I'm curious about you. I'm fascinated, actually. Can't you tell me anything?_

He looked back at her finally, huffing with a slight growl and seemingly very agitated...or maybe trembling with unused energy. He seemed quite eager to go again, and Ami knew exactly why.

_Too hungry to talk._

_You're always hungry._

_Yes. Always. Cursed, hunger. Never ceasing._

She frowned at that response. _Why are you cursed, Goliathus?_

_Humans cursed me._

_Huh? How did we do that?_

He scraped the ground again, putting small furrows into the dirt where he stood, and flexed his hands. Ami realized in that moment that he might not be angry...but rather trying to control his never-ending, persistent craving by doing these things. _Quirks? Twitches? _She thought hard, and suddenly an idea was creeping into her brain, but she felt the pin needles interrupt as he spoke again.

_Because your flesh tempts me, and now I am cursed. But child break curse. Will not sleep, for long time._

_Listen...if I help to feed you more, will that make you more willing to talk?_

His eyes widened, truly shocked by that statement. There was a long period of silence, as Ami waited for him to respond.

_How you do this, human? You will go murder your own?_

_NO, Goliathus. I will prepare animals for you. You can eat them, and they will help right? You never did bring me that deer I once asked you for. If you do bring me deer, I can butcher them. I prefer the muscle, or what we call venison, so you can have all the like organs, anyway. And I'll use the skins to cover the door and windows, or for warm clothes. _

He snorted, as if he was going to dismiss the idea, but quite surprisingly, he nodded. _Fine. I will do this. _

_And you'll talk to me more?_

_If I choose. _He turned with a sudden motion, and before Ami could say anything more, he was gone to his cave. Saying she was going to do all this was one thing, but actually doing it was another. Ami chuckled at her own bravado...she had very little experience in hunting or butchering animals. How she was going to pull this off exactly she wasn't sure...but the idea seemed good and she needed it to work.

_It's a start anyway, isn't it? If I get him to eat more animals...he just might be calmer for longer periods of time. And then I can attempt to bond with him...or at least try... _Ami sighed loudly to herself. He was so difficult, but she just couldn't give up. If she did, what would be the point to her life anymore? This was her fate, and she could either cry and let herself fall into depression, or try and change it for the better. Besides she knew full well she could run away for many miles, and he'd still find her in a heartbeat with that powerful nose, so trying to escape him was impossible. The only way she was ever going to leave is if he _let_ her go, and it was quite clear that was never, ever going to happen.

/

_End Chapter 4_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

_Yay, reviews! THANKS! MORE PLEASE! :D_

/

The next morning, Ami awoke from a long sleep, snuggled under layers of clothing that managed to keep her relatively warm. The nights were getting colder, and even with fires going in the hearth, it still got chilly since there was nothing yet to keep the wind out of the house. She rubbed her eyes and yawned sleepily, and then heard a shuffling noise outside. Slowly she rose, still wearing the same clothes as before, and headed out. Her captor was there, moving a huge deer carcass to a pile...and Ami's jaw dropped. There were four of them, huge bucks with giant antlers.

He noticed her staring, and inclined his head towards them. _Deer. As you say. Enough?_

Ami kept staring in disbelief.

He came a bit closer. _You say prepare them for me. So do it. I will not help. This your idea._

_Thank you...this is...this is more than enough for now. Though I don't know how I'm going to keep all the meat from spoiling. I don't have any salt._

He snorted with a grimace. _Salt? Meat no good too salty._

_Not for you, I mean my share. I can cook some of it, yes, but I'd have to dry and preserve the rest, like the Indians would do. They would salt it and then dry it in the sun...I think._

He seemed bored with the conversation and shrugged. _Do what you wish. No matter. _With that he left again, leaving Ami frustrated because she was hardly done speaking to him. He always did that, and it got on her nerves. For a moment she stood there, staring at the deer, and contemplating what to do. Resigning herself she went to the first deer and started the long, slow process of trying to butcher it with her camping knife. But at least she had a knife. She thought of those victims from that camp, who must have been terrified out of their minds when one minute they were sleeping in their tents, and in the next moment...he was there, tearing them away from their beds and ending their lives.

The constant stream of negative thoughts had to be stopped if she wanted to keep her mind sound. Ami shook her head as if she could clear them away in this manner, and let herself get more absorbed in her work.

/

Many hours later, Ami had managed to gut all four of the deer, piling the organs onto one of the skins and putting it aside for Goliathus. She then labored to make strips of venison that she put in the sun for drying. Using some more of her twine she had made a makeshift laundry line, which would certainly be useful for drying clothes she washed in the river, but for now would be used to make the jerky. Well, she hoped it would be as good as jerky, anyway. But she didn't have any salt. She was in dire need of supplies, and although she dreaded the idea, she would have to ask him to go and get some. It wasn't that she minded asking him, it was the thought of what family he might take it from...and for certain, that family would also end up killed.

The next day she asked him for the salt and more groceries. He seemed irritated at the request, despite having told her she only needed to "ask" in the past. Before she went to bed that night though, she had her supplies, roughly shoved into her hands as he ducked into the doorway of the house out of nowhere, starling her, and then left just as abruptly. The meat strips got salted, and after that she spent some time sitting outside her house on the log, watching him in the moonlight. He seemed to ignore the pile of animal organs for quite some time, busily going about his business, which surprisingly included helping her to clear some large fallen branches, large rocks, and other stuff from around the house. Finally, at probably around the twentieth time he was going to pass by it, he stopped, kneeling to give it a good olfactory assault. He huffed, as if the whole act was a great indignation, but decided to eat it anyway. It was amazing how fast he did so. It was gone in minutes.

Ami smiled to herself. It was a start. He seemed to calm down somewhat already, and decided to perch himself upon one of the larger boulder formations (that he didn't try to move) and work on scratching details into one of his new knives. He was literally using a sharp claw to draw crude figures into the surface, which was partly made of that dental amalgam. She wondered if her own was mixed into that one. The thought creeped her out.

A couple of more hours went by, and the night was becoming more chilly. Ami wrapped her own fuzzy robe more tightly around her (she was quite proud of herself for managing to salvage it), now dingy with ground in dirt and torn in several places from his first rough treatment of the fabric. It was getting quite late and she was tired, but she didn't want to go to sleep just yet. She wanted to talk to Goliathus, now, while he was sated for the time being, and busying himself with his weapons. It was a rare time for him to be more compliant, she had learned that quickly. Slowly and trying to keep her footsteps light as possible, she approached the rock he was crouching on. Instantly, he snapped around, eyes locking onto her as if she were a target. Geez. This heradus didn't miss a single, damned beat. Before she could even sit her butt warily next to him, her head tingled.

_Go sleep._

She sighed. _I wanted to spend some time with you._

_I'm busy._

_No, you're not really. Just doing your art stuff. And don't try to use hunger as an excuse to leave. _She was pouting, but not even realizing it.

His eyes narrowed. Great, so maybe he _wasn't _ in a good mood.

_What's the matter?_

_You're irritating. That is the matter._

_Look, I know you don't exactly think much of me. But you did say you didn't hate me, remember? Because I didn't hate you. Now though...you seem more grumpy than usual. I was just wondering if you wanted to talk about it._

It sounded silly even to herself, but Ami was hoping to probe for some amount of bonding. She had to chuckle in disbelief at herself. The only bonding he knew was to copulate with her on a moment's whim.

Still, somebody had to give her points for trying.

He grinned, clearly amused. _Want more attention again, do you?_

_Look, is that all you ever think about? _She clucked her tongue.

_I think more about food. About the next hunt. _He was still grinning, his razor-sharp teeth glistening in the faint light of the moon. _But mating is always fun. _

_This is not why I want your attention. I want to know more about __**you**__. _She braced herself, and tried to show some affection, like a lesson of sorts, and leaned against his solid, muscular form. Of course, what exactly Goliathus understood and he didn't were still a mystery. He also seemed to talk better at random times, which made her wonder if he wasn't...acting, in some odd way, perhaps making yet another game out of all these pretended limitations.

She felt him jerk in immediate response, and his clawed hands came around her middle. He tugged her closer to him and was smelling her again, almost feverishly.

_Oh god. This just isn't working._

In a very fast move she was on the ground, and his tongue was all over her body in any exposed area he could find. In some bizarre way it was a very intoxicating experience...to know that someone desired you in such a primal, lusty way. But it was be nice, for _once_, to know that her own consent mattered. He certainly didn't care whether she was in the mood or not. Ami tried to push him away, but as usual it only seemed to excite him more. Heaving a great sigh she gave up and lie still. He pushed her so that she rolled over onto her stomach, then lifted her by the thighs up towards his crotch. She felt the tickly, wiry hairs for a few seconds and then he promptly thrust himself inside her, slapping against her in his quickening eagerness.

_Great, doggy style. I really am his bitch._

They went on like this for a while, and Ami was more than aware of the hot semen flooding her not once, twice, but three times. At last he seemed to have enough, and unceremoniously dumped her back onto the ground, since she had literally been half-hanging in the air by the time he was done.

Panting, she tried to get her bearings and get back on her feet. She heard a dry chuckling followed by a snort.

_Did you enjoy that, mouse?_

She stared at him, trying to look unimpressed, although her body seriously betrayed her ruse. The wonderful sensations still tingled in her midsection from the at least four orgasms of her own. It had taken nearly biting her own arm hard enough to draw blood to surpress her moans. _You don't listen well, do you? I said that's not why I wanted your attention._

_Admit it._

Ami raised a brow at him. His behavior was getting more interesting by the day.

_Ok fine, yes, that was pleasant enough. Although women don't like being forced...raped. You should know that. _She folded her arms to try and emphasize her point, but it wasn't very convincing since her hair was all mussed, her robe dirtier than ever, and the result of their union was literally dripping down the inside of her thighs.

He laughed. _Perhaps not. But this was not rape. You are a breeder, and you desire me. It is not "that way", little human. It is __**you**__. _He laughed again, almost as if he was mocking her, but it was hard to tell.

His words made her go rigid. Apparently, that thought from a while back had not been private. He _had_ picked up on it. How much did he know? It made her blush with indignation, a sense of embarrassment and resentment coursing through her.

_But you are right. I don't hate you. Humans who lose fear, however, become pests. Irritating. _

_Do you want me to stay afraid of you, then? _She frowned, backing away slightly, hoping for a good answer.

_Not really. Doesn't matter now. You are not food. You are mother. _Then suddenly, he growled savagely and took a few, deliberate strides towards her until he was very close. Ami gave a yelp despite herself and backed up against a tree, shivering from the sudden wave of fear that gripped her very soul. _Damn it. _If she wasn't so fascinated by him...if she were any _normal _human, she would have already hated him with a passion from the very beginning for treating her this way.

_However...do not forget to respect me, mouse. I will remind you very quickly, of why you are here, and still alive, if you forget. Understand?_

She nodded quickly, tightening her lips, and he instantly grinned again.

_Good._

_/_

This was the way they existed with each other for many weeks. Autumn came

into its full season as the leaves changed to a striking blend of reds and oranges. Every couple of days he brought more deer, and she got into a rather tedious ritual of making the jerky (which turned out halfway decent) and piling the organs for him. Each time he ate them, but the enthusiasm for it was still not there. It didn't stop him from going out to hunt more humans, but it did continue to make him calmer, so it was something of a success, in her mind. Her belly was getting rounder, and it was becomingly increasingly difficult to do her work, as she tired out quicker, had to pee more frequently which was especially annoying, or felt little flutters and kicks all throughout the night that kept her awake.

She tried not to think about the baby in any real sense. There was too much of an unknown there and it made her uneasy.

One late but unusually mild Fall day she was going about the business of gutting her deer when finally she was getting too tired and needed a break. She was covered in blood and guts, and felt utterly disgusting, so she stuck her knife into a tree trunk that she had been using like a table and headed to the creek only a couple of yards off. It was very nice to have a source of running, fresh mountain water so close, but it was absolutely freezing cold. Ami shivered just from touching one toe to the icy surface. Cold...but at least she could get clean. The canvas bag had a small travel-sized bar of soap from the blessed camping supplies (that was well used by now), and she had what small sliver remained clutched in one hand as she yelped, trying to force herself to step into the frigid waters. Shivering she removed her sparse clothing, walking back briefly to put it next to the trunk, and then worked up a lather as quickly as she could, trying to get clean fast.

In the hills above some several yards away, a man with a hunting rifle was watching, keeping himself hidden behind a tree. He looked like a trucker, with a grungy red hat, disheveled hair, and hands covered with oil and grime. He was smacking on a piece of gum noisily and scratching his unshaven chin while chuckling over his shoulder to another man behind him. His companion, slender and gawky looking, sniggered back.

"What ya think she's doin' out here?" he drawled with a strong Southern accent.

"Don't know, but those are some mighty fine tits." He chuckled. "Damned crazy though, ta be washin' up in the crik."

"Sure is...just might be some whackos up here in these parts." He snickered, and his friend joined him again. The two bent close and whispered, nodding something, and then slowly made their way down the hill...towards her.

/

Ami managed to get a good lather going in her hair and awkwardly leaned over to try and wash it out with handfuls of cold water. She was so freezing her feet had gone numb, but she was nearly done and tried not to let it bother her. Finally, satisfied she was reasonably clean enough, she stood back up, only to come face to face with a man holding a gun on the other side of the creek. He gave her a big, wide grin, and instinctively she tried to cover herself with her arms, taking a few steps back. Her clothes were back at the house, and she looked over her shoulder with a forlorn glance. Fear hadn't set in yet, she was too shocked to even see a person there.

" Well howdy, little lady. Whatcha doin' all the way out here at Bells Rock, eh?"

_Bells Rock?_

She said nothing, only kept staring. He chuckled and lecherously looked her up and down. Ami felt a surge of disgust course through her very soul. This man was very bad news indeed, she knew it right away. When she saw the other man approaching behind him, the fear started to sink in. They were not here for friendly, Southern hospitality.

"Cat got yer tongue? Listen, you livin' in that old pile of rubble or somethin'? A vagrant? Homeless?" He was still grinning and chewing his gum with obnoxious smacking noises. His friend came near, leering, making no effort to avert his eyes from her breasts. When he did finally look away, his eyes widened as he gazed past her.

"Hey check it out, Ruddy. She's got some huge deer over there!" The green eyes followed the pointing finger, and Ruddy arched a brow as he observed the butchered carcasses. " Ho sheet...you ain't kiddin'. How'd you go and do that?" He asked, looking back at her. "Got a gun?" He seemed slightly suspicious, clenching his own gun a bit more tightly in his hands. "Ain't easy ta find deer that big around here...they hide up in them mountains, where it's hard to reach 'em."

Still saying nothing, Ami started to back up, heading for the house and trying to keep her eyes on them. The one nodded to the other, and they approached, sniggering and curling a finger at her. "C'mon darlin, we don't bite. Howabout we help ya get dressed, than ya can take a ride in our truck, eh? My buddy and I here come out this far to go huntin', sometimes for days. It gets kinda lonely, ya know...and well, then we come to this new spot, seein' some weird house we ain't ever seen before..and there you are! A pretty little thang...all wet, shiverin'...and naked." Ruddy was staring at her with a predatory gaze of a whole different fashion. "I could warm ya up, if ya'd like."

She turned suddenly and bolted, trying to get back to the house, and just barely managed to grab her clothes before she felt a hand grab her. It was Ruddy's friend, and he pulled her up close to him, his rank breath filling her nostrils. "Honey it's all right now. We ain't gonna hurt ya."

"Naw...George here is right, we wouldn't wanna do that. We's just visitin'. The truck's over yonder, why don't you come hang with us a while?" Ami pulled back and struggled as Ruddy grabbed her other arm. She kicked out at him, but surprisingly he expertly blocked and wagged a finger at her. "Now now. Let's not ferget our manners, young lady."

The two dragged her, yelling and kicking, to their truck that was indeed just over the hill. They were way off the road, and the green flatbed had plenty of evidence that they were indeed hunters, including some rabbit hides carefully tied together, and a small deer carcass of a young buck.

There were also ropes amongst their supplies, and they used these to tie her hands together. Ruddy lifted her and lied her down onto the flatbed on her back, and then tied her bound hands to one of the heavy tool boxes.

"Mmmm. Now you just stay quiet now, honey." Ami hated the way he said "honey". She hated his drawl, she hated his face. Thinking she should spit on that face, she gathered up some saliva only to have a dirty rag shoved in her mouth, gagging her.

Ruddy was an animal, he quickly unzipped his fly, reaching into his pants and pulling out his already erect member. He sneered at her as if he'd say something but instead pulled himself up onto the flatbed and on top of her. George was _still_ grinning, turning away half-heartedly, and awaiting his wretched turn.

Ami shut her eyes tight and winced as she felt him thrust himself inside of her. It was an odd thing...she had been raped by the Creeper, but she never felt disgusted. Ruddy, however, made her want to vomit at being violently intruded by so vile a human being. He kept grunting like a pig while his movements caused the truck to bounce back and forth. Ami struggled some, but it was useless since her hands were bound and now George held her feet down as well. These two...where had these scum come from, anyhow? This was supposed to be some remote, hidden place.

_Oh, Goliathus. Where are you? _She chocked back a sob.

She had not expected an answer, but there it was, sudden and alarmed.

_Mouse?_

_Goliathus? Where are you?_

_Up mountain a few miles, found human cabin. No humans though. _He sounded disappointed, but that urgent feeling came back again. He knew something was wrong. _What the matter?_

_I'm being raped!_

_What? _She could hear the snarl in her mind, it was painful, like a headache. _No men there! Should be no men!_

_There are...two hunters. They have me on their truck and they're raping me! Please...help me... _She begged, her voice panicked.

Ami felt something akin to a horrible, drowning fire overwhelming her, filled with nothing but utter malice. She knew he was coming now, fast and furious.

And also she knew these men would die a horrible, lingering death at his claws, but this time, she was only too glad to know it.

Ruddy suddenly grunted loudly, spilling his hot seed inside her and pulled out quickly. Still panting he motioned to George who wasted no time in getting his own pants down. As George clumsily hovered over her and positioned himself, he suddenly paused, looking behind him. Ruddy had gone deathly still...and so had the forest. There were no birds chirping, no rustling of the wind. He followed Ruddy's gaze, and his eyes widened like saucers. Quickly he scrambled off the truck trying to pull his jeans back up while fumbling with the zipper and stood by his friend's side, whose face was awash with raw fear.

"What...the fuck...is..?"

Standing across the creek below, they saw something standing there, looking right in their direction. A tattered duster hung like an ominous cloak about its tall form and they could hear the growl even from where they stood.

"_Where da hell did he come from?_" George whispered, and managed to grab his gun from the back of the truck, but he moved slowly.

"I don't know, but that ain't the worst of it." Ruddy's voice was forced, and he wouldn't even blink. "Look..." he said, although he didn't point. "It's got wings."

"What?" George blinked, as if tryin' to clear his vision. "What da hell you talkin', wings? No man has got..."

He went quiet, as the figure started moving towards them with long, powerful strides. The men reacted like panicked rabbits. George simply turned and bolted, heading for the driver's side door. Ruddy aimed and fired his gun, but it seemed to have no effect even as it blasted a chunk out of the monster's chest. Cursing to himself he dropped the gun, staggered back a bit, and tried to get into the passenger seat. George managed to get the truck started, but he only got three feet when something landed with a heavy thud onto the hood. He screamed as he found himself looking into the eyes of a monstrous face and claws from taloned feet sinking into the metal. He pressed on the accelerator as hard as it would go, all the while Ruddy cursing and trying to aim his gun out the window to strike the attacker. The truck lurched forward and haphazardly went to the right and left, narrowly missing trees and boulders. Goliathus hung fast, snarling in utter rage, and knew he had to get the truck stopped. If the men crashed, they might injure or kill his precious breeder.

He clung to the truck easily with his claws and maneuvered to the back, where he found Ami still tied and moaning in fear. Her face was streaked with tears and blood, and there was a gash in her side from where some sharp object had obviously slammed into her. Quickly the heradus cut the ropes with a claw and balanced himself carefully while the truck sped on. He gathered Ami tightly in his arms and leapt into the air. He went back to the house and gently laid her onto her pile of clothes and then went back after the truck.

_Thank you...thank you...I...you saved my life...you..._

Ami was breathing heavy and half conscious from her wounds. She was not quite coherent, but she heard him roaring into her mind.

_Cursed men! Touch what is mine? Mate with my breeder? They will DIE. Take them to new House of Pain! TORTURE THEM!_

The words coursed a shudder through Ami but she was so exhausted that minutes later, looking like a wreck and still bleeding, she passed out into unconsciousness.

/

End Chapter 5


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

/

When Ami awoke, she was in the cave. There was a fire closeby, and she was covered in her deer furs. When she attempted to move, she moaned. Her side hurt, and looking she saw crude stitches where her gash had been. For one moment she worried something was actually missing from within, but she realized he had merely dressed her wound as best as he could.

_He fixed me? _She had to chuckle to herself. There was even some of that yellow disinfectant stuff on it...he had gone so far as to try and sterilize it. Where he got it from, she had no idea, but his knowledge of things still amazed her every day.

Within moments, however, the memory of her rape came back to her mind, and she fought back tears of her own inner rage. Those scumsucking bastards. They only made her vision of men and her past experiences worse than ever. Anyone who could do such a thing to another helpless human being didn't even deserve to be _called_ human. Ruddy and George. What was happening to them now? Did the heradus kill them yet? Had he already tortured them as she knew he would?

_You are awake._

The voice caused Ami to look behind her but she saw no one. The cave yawned into another big opening, but there were only some sparse torches and the fire to give any lighting, so she couldn't see beyond it.

_You fixed me up._

_I tried. You did well. Fever came, but are well now._

_What did you do to them? _Ami bit her lip as she awaited his answer. Her heart was pounding.

_Still alive. I have skinned the one called George, he is barely breathing, but alive still. The one called Ruddy, I am experimenting on him. _

Ami shuddered violently. She wasn't so sure she wanted such precise, graphic answers, but he kept speaking.

_I shall eat his liver. Smells good. But I must wait, he must suffer more. I will keep him alive as long as possible. _She could feel the malice, although he seemed more calm. Ami fought back revulsion. She didn't want to hear about his tortures, but she did want to know those men suffered. Although, she couldn't help but think, in the back of her mind, that maybe it was a bit too harsh even for them.

_No, no. They are rapists. They didn't care when I screamed or begged. I can't feel pity for them._

Goliathus snorted in her mind. He had heard her wandering thoughts. _True, little mouse, very true. I knew no mercy from humans. They shall know none from me. No one touches what is mine._

Ami sighed, turning her gaze to the fire and watching the leaping flames as they danced over the logs. _You keep saying that. That humans tortured you, that they did something horrible. How is it possible, Goliathus? Where you betrayed by someone you once protected?_

It took a long while, but he did respond. _Yes. _

Ami waited for more, but he didn't seem to have anything further to say on the matter. She pressed him gently. _Tell me more about it. Was it a woman? At this cathedral you spoke of?_

_No, a man. Barabas. Listen... _He paused, she caught a faint growl. _I do not wish to talk of these things. Humans understand nothing. Why should I talk about it with a human?_

_Because I'm different, Goliathus._

_How different? You are breeder. Had them before._

_Have they been like me? Cooperating? Learning to push aside fear to actually help you in your goal? To survive? Who has done this before? You tell me. _If there were other breeders, where were the results? The other heradus?

_Some complied. _

_That's not really an answer! Where are the other heradus then?_

He growled, and Ami knew it had not succeeded before. She knew...he was the only one. He had to be.

_Children born...but mothers went mad. Killed children. Killed themselves. Humans are murderers...killers of everything. So I kill them. I murder. I do not care. I have no mercy._

Ami listened intently, tears resurfacing in her blue eyes. The story was truly poignant and got to her. But she also felt some great affection starting to seriously take hold in her heart, because she was starting to make sense of this strange creature. Something in the past had changed him...caused him to lose all faith in humanity and turn on them.

But that meant that at some point, he had once protected and lived amongst humans. Somewhere, there had been a betrayal.

Barabas. She had a new name now.

The fire was very pleasing. As Ami sat curled close to it, wrapped in furs and her wound throbbing but tolerable, she thought of Barabas...who he was, what position he held if any...a bishop maybe? It was a cathedral, he might have been some kind of holy man...but how and why would any holy man employ the services of a creature like that? How did they even know of Goliathus' existence? How did he come to...geh. So many questions. So many...and so little answers.

Ami sighed and wrapped her arms about her knees, pulling up some of the furs as they fell down her sides. Silence reigned...if the Creeper was still torturing the rapists she couldn't hear it...and was very grateful for that fact. She listened intently to the gentle crackling of the fire and then fell into sleep...a peaceful, much welcomed sleep after so much fear and misery.

/

The days seemed to flow together, one day creeping into the next. Ami left the cave eventually after she'd healed enough and finished fixing up the house as best she could. It took some time but she was able to make it cozy enough using her idea of the thick deer furs for doors, which worked pretty well. Goliathus also was true to his word and finally got around to building a bed for her. He literally fashioned it from trees he pushed down himself, and used a wicked looking axe to cut the pieces. After that he spent a few good hours one night putting it together. The mattress was nothing more than some torn sheets stuffed with hay and grasses and crudely stitched, but it was better than a pile of rank clothes. As it got colder and closer to winter, Ami was exceedingly glad for her fireplace, as well. When it got _too_ bitter though, she went to the cave, walking far back into its recesses, and staying near her captor's fires which kept her warm. The fear of him was getting less, although he still made conversation difficult and refused to answer further questions of his past. Ami did all she could to make the best of the situation. As time went on, she sometimes got stir-crazy and found herself longing for his company more and more. She'd sit outside on the fallen log and gaze up at the sky, waiting and waiting. Sometimes he'd disappear for a week or more, causing her supplies to get dangerously thin. Ami never thought of trying to escape...and oddly, her desire to do so was growing weak. Time kept creeping on, and one day close to Spring, she finally noticed how large her stomach had grown. She had become very big indeed and the weight of the fetus was making her back hurt, but she would spend nights rubbing her belly and now talking to the little one growing inside of her.

Sometimes...she would become afraid again when she allowed her mind to wander to dark places...but tried to ignore it.

Then, it happened. One rainy day as Spring approached ever closer, she awoke to a sudden sensation of warmth gushing down her thighs.

Ami blinked, eyes widening, as a dull pain came across her middle. It felt like one of those annoying cramping sensations you got when lovely Aunt Flo came to visit. At first she didn't move, then quickly she threw the furs aside and examined herself. Her legs were covered in clear fluid, and a puddle had formed near her feet. The dull cramp came again, still mild, but not mistakable.

_Oh...oh god... _Too soon, it was too soon, wasn't it? How long had it been anyway? Ami couldn't even remember what day it was anymore.

_Goliathus?_

_What? _He huffed in irritation, as always, but his quick response was unusual.

_I... this baby...too soon, isn't it?_

There was a long pause, and then she heard his taloned feet clicking hurriedly in the distance, echoing throughout the cave. In a very short time, he was by her side, crouching next to her.

_Felt something?_

_My water broke. I felt some cramps. But it's too soon, isn't it?_

_You are in labor. Not too soon, if child comes, it comes._

_But...I'm-I'm not prepared! _Ami was shaking now, the reality of the situation overwhelming her. She had not even thought much of this day...what would happen, what the child would be like...if she would even _survive _the whole ordeal.

_You are prepared. Child is ready. You are ready. Come, I have nest for you. Give birth there._

He hoisted Ami up into his arms and she could feel his throaty purring vibrating throughout his form, but she could also sense some anxiety. He was happy, elated even, but somewhere he was trying to hide his own concern.

Ami wondered exactly what he was concerned about, as he took her deep into the cave, and put her down onto a huge nest of hay covered in old blankets, all put together in a corner by yet another fire.

_Rest Ami. Rest now._

She closed her eyes, feeling another cramp but quite willing to sleep. As she drifted off, a faint grin thinned her lips as it dawned on her that her captor had finally used her name again.

/

Hours later, Ami awoke with a loud groan. The pain in her middle had tripled...maybe even quadrupled, and she grabbed up cloth in her hands, squeezing tightly and stifling a scream. The pain seemed to grow worse and worse, and just when she couldn't bear it not one minute longer, it finally calmed down and gave her a much needed respite. Goliathus was right there hovering over her left side, and shamelessly reaching down to stick a finger inside of her, which was a very unwelcome sensation.

_Stop that, you're hurting me!_

_Feeling for head. Not down yet. It will be a long time still._

Ami groaned again, but this time in disappointment. If this was just the beginning of her labor she was in for a seriously unbearable night. The thought made her wish she could have that thing called an epidural, or even just be mercifully knocked out. But of course she knew that was a far away dream.

Goliathus got up to do something, and Ami immediately tried to stop him by grabbing his arm, but he only pulled away and mumbled something about getting water and rags. The labor pain came back like a wave of iron-tipped needles, poking about her midsection like hot embers and growing and growing until it converged into one huge, intense wave of agony. She cried out loudly, tearing apart the old blanket fibers as her nails dug into them, and gave a great sigh of relief when it finally calmed down again.

But in minutes, it was back, and the process repeated itself over and over. Ami felt sweat pouring down her body, the fire nearby was now making her too hot and she screamed for him to put it out, but Goliathus did not react. He had come back with water and rags, and was now putting the blessedly cold cloths on her forehead and shoulders. Thanking him profusely she made it quite clear he could douse her with the entire jug of creek water and she would kiss the ground he walked on. Still, he made no reaction to her anxious murmurings or shouted commands. Ami's mind was trying to focus on anything, anywhere, or anytime to get her thoughts away from pain, but it was useless.

She screamed to him she couldn't do it anymore, and his only response was to huff at her as if she were acting completely silly.

Somehow, Ami fell into a fitful sleep when the contractions calmed down again. She'd wake some time later, scream some more, then go back to sleep, groaning and rolling her head to the left and right in a vain attempt to get more comfortable.

Her body was absolutely slick with sweat now, and Goliathus seemed quite fascinated. He'd reach down to lick the moisture off of her at times, but Ami hardly seemed to notice.

There was an unknown time of blackness, had she fallen unconscious? As she awoke, groaning again from the increasing pain, she felt familiar pin needles in the brain.

_Head is down. Push now._

"I..I..c-can't..." Weak, sweaty, and exhausted, Ami found herself trying to get up but the Creeper urged her back down.

_No, push now. You can. You will. Or both of you will die._

The strength was nearly gone from her, but a new labor pain grew, and he pushed down on her belly. Ami screamed at the pressure, but the urge to push grew impossible to resist. She bore down hard, gritting her teeth and reaching to clutch his arms, digging her fingernails deep enough to draw black blood, but he didn't even flinch.

_Good. Again._

Ami obeyed, blacking in and out, and feeling new pain in her throat from the hoarseness of screaming. Again she bore down, feeling a ring of fire between her thighs, and cried out even louder. The labor pain was so intense, and came only seconds apart. She pushed and pushed, feeling more and more strength ebb out of her.

Goliathus growled lightly, supported her up on his knee. He reached into her, tugging on the head, and Ami could only give a weak moan. She wanted to keep pushing, but she couldn't. Her body felt like lead.

_You must not quit!_

_I'm too tired, I..so thirsty..I...just...can't..._

She felt him bring a cold tin cup to her lips and she managed to get a few gulps of the refreshing water. It seemed to give her that small burst of energy that she needed. But she knew she only had one more push left in her, and that was it.

The pain grew and peaked. She bore down, as hard as she could muster, putting every last bit of energy her body had to offer into it. It was long, drawn out, lasting several seconds.

It felt as if a damn broke. There was a distinct squishing sound and an odd sensation as if a ten pound weight and had been lifted off her belly, along with more fluid gushing from her and soaking the hay beneath.

Several seconds of utter silence.

Then a high pitched wail, echoing in its hiccuping, rapid bursts of breath as the sound filled the cavern. It was a symphony that caused the heradus to roar out in victory.

Ami was still barely conscious, but she managed to look down. Through hazy eyes she saw the tiny form writhing about in the mess of fluids near her thighs, felt a little foot kick her as it flailed about.

_Hungry. Very hungry. Feed him now. _The Creeper's elation and utter triumph were seeping into his mindvoice.

_Him?_

_Yes... _he purred. _Child is male._

Ami smiled faintly, and it seemed he smiled right back at her.

_Can I think of a name for him?_

_I care not. Feed him now. Is very hungry._

Ami was grateful for his help as he moved her into a sitting position. Suddenly she moaned in pain again as she felt another contraction. He told her to push, looking very, very eager in quite a disturbing way as he looked on. Ami grunted, trying her best and then with a terrible cramp there was something else that slipped out of her. It didn't take long to figure out that it was the placenta, and it took even less time for the Creeper to snatch it up, cutting the cord with this teeth and slurping the whole thing down like a delicate Hors d'œuvre. Ami tried to hide her disgust, but gratefully a squirmy bundle wrapped in old rags was handed to her minutes later.

/

Ami had been so exhausted that she had passed out into dreamless sleep, and awoke some unknown amount of time later with a start. Never in her life had she felt so absolutely drained, both physically and mentally. Her head throbbed with a dull ache, and her mouth was uncomfortably dry. Not only was she thirsty, but her appetite had returned full force. It took a few more minutes of fuzzy consciousness to register a strange sensation at her chest, somewhat sore and uncomfortable. She looked down to see the newborn tucked into the crook of her left arm and latched onto her breast. He was fussy, constantly moving, either kicking out a little leg or making various noises while he fed.

For a long time she simply stared at him. The little one had light grey skin, similar to his father, but smoother. There were small, underdeveloped wings pressed on its back and little bumpy ridges on the bald head. But his face...so round and pudgy, had big, golden eyes set into it...eyes that finally fluttered and looked up at her. Ami felt her heart melting.

_Hello there. _

The baby squealed and rubbed at its head with tiny hands, but the effect was brief.

_Pet, do not mind speak to the child. Too young. Painful._

_Oh...sorry. I didn't even think about that. He's adorable, you know. _Ami smiled to herself, as she cuddled him closer to her chest. The feelings bubbling up inside of her were overwhelming, this was love like she had never known before.

_I suppose so. This is a human word...adorable. _He huffed.

_Well, what word would you use? _She looked around for Goliathus, but he seemed to be somewhere far back into his feeding chambers, an area she had still not seen, much to her great appreciation.

_Strong. Will be a good hunter._

Ami sighed, all of her happy feelings vanishing. _So, what are you telling me? That you will raise him to slaughter humans, just as you do?_

_Why shouldn't I? Is my child._

_You said I would raise him._

_Yes. Breeder feeds child, tends to his needs. But father is teacher. Hm?_

Ami trembled with the anger and frustration coming back to her in droves. _So you'll turn him into a human killer and what then? He'll be cursed like you? This is what you want? To have him cursed to sleep for many years at a time and have a never-ending hunger that is pain?_

She heard him coming then, and with unwanted fear of him that still remained, shrank a little farther back into her corner, clutching the infant more tightly.

Goliathus came up close, kneeling, and getting right into her face. Ami couldn't help it as the fear only grew.

_Yes fear me, pathetic human. Because what do you know? You get angry, you say things as if I am human. But I am not human. I do not care about what you think, or what you want. You are here only to breed, and to do whatever I tell you. Do you understand this?_

Ami wanted to say so many things, but the words died in her mind, and fresh tears came pouring down her face.

_When this child is old enough, he will spend more time with me, and he will learn. He will hunt. If he becomes human killer, I do not care. I will show him how to use weapons. How to torture. Humans are worthless, pathetic, and annoying creatures. Always talking. Always asking questions._

_Killers of everything. You weep, but you are a killer, just like me. _

He paused, and finally, Ami managed to say something. Her words were small and utterly miserable, even in her mind. _So I'm really nothing to you? Just...nothing?_

_Nothing is how I felt, by human hands. Does it displease you? Good. Then you know how it feels. I have not tortured you physically...though many times I have greatly longed to do so. I cannot stand your human voice. I want to hate everything about you. But..._

_B-but...?_

_You...__**have**__ been different. It has surprised me. Your actions, your behavior...strange for human. Not at all the same. Normally I would not care. But you are different. I still long to hate you. To cause you great pain, to torment you. But this hatred does not come._

Despite the frightening nature of this speech, his mindvoice was softening. _Mouse. Little pet, you are different._

Ami was confused. Was he trying to tear down her will, or attempting to show some amount of compassion for her?

_Well...then...you can trust me, can't you?_

_Trust you to do what?_

_To not...betray you? To __**not**__ do what those other humans did to you? That story you won't tell me? _She wiped the tears from her eyes roughly, trying to compose herself. Shifting around a bit she made herself sit up straighter. _I don't think you really understand yet, Goliathus. _Pausing, she sighed, looking down at the warm little bundle tucked into her arms who had now fallen asleep with his little hands curled against his chest. _I don't hate you, you're right about that. But I've __**never**__ hated you, and believe me, there were plenty of times I could have! You tore me away from everything in my human life...and I wanted to hate you for that most of all._

She stopped briefly, as she noticed she had his rapt attention. He had crouched low with his wings half-open and curled about, and continued to stare at her.

_But then...but then I thought back on my life. I really had no life, if you think about it. I was a hermit living all alone in a cabin in some remote area of upstate New York, and the only real friends I had were a couple of penpals from far away states or countries that I never go to. I was incredibly lonely, although I could never admit that to myself. I had trouble with relationships due to bad experiences with men in my past. Then you came. I knew nothing but fear for a long time but you were...and are...such a fascinating creature and I longed to know more about you., And then when you started talking about this cathedral, and the fact that you once protected someone or something, I knew this was not the real you. __**I**__ saw something different too, Goliathus...in you. I know I'm not wrong. You don't like to admit it, but you are protecting me, guarding me, like you once did long ago. I mean with Ruddy and George it became clear that-_

_You are a rare breeder, too important to lose. I had to get them out of the way. Do not fool yourself, human. I am not your __**guardian.**_

_Maybe not officially. But it's a deep set instinct, isn't it?_

He growled, and although she expected him to up and leave, he didn't. His eyes shifted to the infant.

_You have named him? _He asked, abruptly changing the subject.

_No, I...I haven't yet. But his golden eyes, they remind me of the sun. _Her eyes widened.

_Wait. I do have a name._

He cocked his head. She looked past him, out the mouth of the cave's entrance, to see the sun's rays peering from the crest of the trees.

_Solarus._

He grinned in response and reached out with both arms. Ami gently handed the sleeping infant towards him. For several long minutes he sniffed the air around the little one, especially around its neck. The baby woke slowly, blinking and meeting his gaze, and then there was the tiniest snuffing sounds as Ami realized, with growing amazement, that the child was smelling him as well.

_Solarus is a good name. A heradus name._

_Are there are other names...that you remember? _Ami blinked at him, hoping to tease out just a little more information if she could get it. He did not answer.

_Who..is this Barabas? _She asked softly, gently rocking Solarus as he started to fuss. The heradus snarled, flexing claws and sucking on his teeth.

_You will be a good mother. _He said, changing the subject abruptly...again. _Very different, as I've said. _He got up, gazing down at her for a while then turned to leave. _Time for hunting. Talking is over._

Ami sighed, shaking her head. _Of course. You don't want to answer me, so you walk away._

_I tire of talking after a time._

_Don't you think, that after all you've been put me through, that I could at least get a few more questions answered? It's like you never even heard anything I said to you. _She was looking at him forlornly, as if she might burst into tears at any moment.

He sighed, a huge heaving breath that made her feel as if she were simply wasting his time, and he was just tolerating the whole situation like a parent trying to endure a child's temper tantrum. _Fine. Ask some questions, and I will answer. Try to, anyway. But the hunger is annoying me._

_Ok, understood. _She smiled at him, happy to be finally getting through to him, or at least it seemed that way. _Who is this...Barabas you spoke of?_

_Priest._

_Okay, elaborate a little more, would you?_

The Creeper eyed her, falling silent for several minutes. Then he seemed to make up his mind, settling down near her again, and this time eying some bones that were strewn about the cave floor. He grabbed one and started chewing on it. It seemed to calm his nerves.

_He is a priest, who lived in the cathedral._

_The one you guarded._

_No, not really. I did not guard the cathedral so much as I guarded his daughter._

_Oh? _Ami blinked, her curiosity and fascination intensely growing at these words. _And...? What kind of relationship did you have with this daughter? Was she afraid of you?_

_No. She was much like you. More fascinated than afraid._

_/_

_End Chapter 6 The Creeper hungers for flesh, I hunger for reviews. Not much difference, is there? ;) More soon, had a bit of trouble figuring out a scene in the story, ended up deleting the entire thing and going in a different direction. I hope you will enjoy some surprises coming up next!_


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

/

Ami had tried to get as much information as she could out of the heradus that night, but he shut down to her questions the more his hunger grew. Eventually, he simply left, leaving their conversation hanging. However Ami had grown hopeful. Despite still being so utterly drained of energy she spent many hours sitting up, staring out of the cave mouth with glistening eyes. These tears were not of sadness, but of the realization of how much things were changing between them. It had taken much perseverance, but it was happening. _What_ exactly, she still couldn't say. But despite all of his harsh words and sometimes cruel behavior, he had yet to actually do her any harm, as he said. And it seemed that was the least of his intentions.

She could feel his confused, inner turmoil of emotions perhaps more than he even realized within himself. Ami knew she wasn't just _different_. Goliathus was feeling something for her, but fighting it tooth and nail, every step of the way. His threats were empty. Of course she would never dare press him too far...that would only be suicidal...his explosive temper alone could cause her death, whether intended or not.

Solarus was not unlike a typical infant, save for his obvious physical differences. He mostly slept and nursed, but during the times he was awake, his eyes held a certain gaze that was unusual. One of much higher intelligence for so young a creature.

Ami spent long hours just cuddling him that first week. He would respond with little smiles or nuzzles, but not much else. Crying was rare. It was only hunger that would cause it, and he would _scream_ if not fed quickly enough. Ami tried to ignore the constant soreness of her breasts from the near-constant nursing, but it was very taxing. The amount of weight she lost was incredible. In fact, after only a week and a half, she was so skinny that her hands looked bony and her hips jutted out more noticeably.

When Solarus was almost two weeks old, a rather shocking and disturbing thing started to occur.

Ami began to see a ghost.

In her life she had never seen, or really believed in them before. But after meeting Goliathus she certainly learned that the world held more strange truths than anyone could have realized.

She had gone outside to gather some wood for the fires within the cave, that were kept going almost constantly. They had to be, for it got very cold in there quickly without them. Goliathus didn't care about cold or heat too much, he seemed to be able to withstand just about any temperature. But it seemed he was doing this mainly for her, and certainly for the child. While going about her work she crept further into the woods, looking for large sticks or whatever she could find. It was then she saw a tiny pathway, leading up the hill, although it was mostly overgrown with weeds. Ami hesitated to go exploring, looking back over her shoulder at the cave's entrance. But she longed to look around this area and see new things, even if it was risky. Pushing aside all reason and common sense, she climbed the pathway, and at the crest of the hill, saw a vast field beyond. It looked like it may have once held crops...this _had_ to be old farmer's land. This place, what had it been like once? Due to the appearance of the house she figured it was probably just an average family living here...so many years ago. They were gone. Just like all the lives of the people Goliathus took on a daily basis. He took everything. Whatever he wanted.

Including her.

Ami sighed at her depressing thoughts. They seemed to be getting worse lately.

She pulled herself through the last of the small, tightly packed bushes and walked out onto the field. It was nice out here, so open and invigorating. It was an overwhelming impulse to go dashing out into the open field and keep going until she was too tired to run anymore. As she bent to her knees to catch her breath, she notice the field came to an abrupt halt at the edge of a cliff. Out beyond the farthest reaches of her sight, there were trees dotted along mountains, a river looking like a thin line as it round itself around the landscape, and not a single house in sight. It was a truly remote place, but also beautiful. Goliathus could certainly pick the scenery.

Getting a little closer to the edge but not _too_ close, she peered down and saw quite a drop. There would be no climbing down that. Ami continued along the perimeter, just enjoying the sights and fresh, warm Spring air. After a few minutes, she felt a particularly out of place and icy breeze blow over her and she shivered. Scrunching her face in confusion she turned around and looked back out over the vast field, but there was nothing there.

_Where did that come from?_

After several more minutes, she figured it was time to head back. It was amazing the heradus hadn't come screeching around to find her already. As she started to head back towards the little pathway by the hill, she froze in her tracks. Someone was standing there, at the crest. Peering she tried to get a better look, but the figure was too far off. She could make out what looked like some kind of white clothing, and something golden glinting in the sun, but not much else. A feeling of unease crept over her. If someone else had discovered them, this could get ugly again fast.

Still...she had to get back. Solarus was probably hungry again by now, and was most likely fussing up a storm. Ami started to walk slowly, paralleling her previous path, and hoping to find some other way back to the cave, keeping her eye on the strange figure on the hill. Wait, was it _glowing_?

On that thought it suddenly wavered out of view. Ami gasped, people didn't just disappear. What was going on? Her feet seemed to move for her, and she broke into a run again, towards the pathway. Sprinting up the crest she quickly scrambled back down the other side...and nearly shrieked as the person was back again, this time at the end of the pathway home.

It was closer this time. A man, bald and with an imposing stature. The white clothing looked like some kind of robes, and he wore sandals. The golden glint appeared to be a sheathed dagger at his side.

_What the hell?_

For a while Ami just stared, as the wind kicked up and whipped a few stray leaves around her. The man did nothing, just stood there. And then in a few more seconds, he disappeared again.

_Oh god. I'm going crazy._

There was a sudden, angry yell in the air, coming from above, that startled Ami enough that she actually jumped back. Looking up, she saw Goliathus sweeping back and forth. He had Solarus in his arms.

_Shit. _

Quickly Ami ran down the rest of the path and stood out in the open where she was easily noticeable.

_I'm here._

_Where did you go? _He sounded truly pissed. _You left the child. He has been crying for nearly half an hour! _

_I went looking for some firewood, remember?_

She saw him coming then, angling down and landing right in front of her with only inches to spare. _Where did you go? _Solarus had calmed down, but when he saw Ami he reached both little arms out towards her and she gathered him up, rocking back and forth.

_Out into the field. I was admiring the scenery. _

_You are not to go out there, mouse. _

_I got a little...distracted. I'm sorry._

He huffed, scratching at the ground with his taloned feet and digging deep, ugly grooves into the dirt. Ami hated when he did that, it made her nervous.

_What is wrong, Goliathus? You seem...on edge lately._

_Human pests. As always. I will deal with it._

_Pests? Who? _She raised a brow at him. _What are you talking about?_

He didn't answer and brushed past her, looking around and scenting the air. Ami was confused, this was odd even for him.

_Ami._

The use of her name caused her to turn around quickly. There was now an odd flutter in her heart whenever he used it. _What? What is it?_

_I will go and deal with this problem. Stay deep within the cave, and do not leave._

Ami frowned, her hopeful mood sinking fast. _You're leaving me again. How long this time?_

_Don't ask questions. Just do what I say._

Ami stomped her foot, conjuring up the worst glare she could muster. _No! I hate when you leave me alone! I hate that I am dependent on you because of where we are! I don't even know where the nearest town is! And...I couldn't just leave to find one either to get supplies, because of Solarus. How would I take him with me? Can you imagine, me walking around with a child looking like this? I'm sure that would gather all sorts of attention-_

_Nearest human town is many miles. Fast by flight, but days by foot. You can go nowhere, this is true, little mouse. You have enough supplies for now. I will be back as soon as the problem is dealt with._

Ami shook her head at him. _Fine. Go ahead and leave me. You don't give a damn about me anyway._

With that she turned and walked back towards the house, nuzzling Solarus and trying to suppress her tears.

Because Ami didn't look back, she didn't see how Goliathus lingered where he stood, watching her go all the way back until she disappeared into the doorway. He continued to stare for a few more moments.

Then with a snap of his wings, he was up in the air and disappearing over the horizon within minutes.

/

The flatbed truck was hidden well among a patch of trees along the road. Jack Taggart Sr. held a pair of binoculars, scanning the sky back and forth a few times as he stood on the back, next to a strange contraption that was contrived from a pole puncher. A sort of makeshift harpoon was fastened to the top, made from a rather strange and creepy looking blade.

"You see anything, dad?" His son, Jack Jr., was sitting in the driver seat with the window down, tapping the side in his growing anxiousness.

"No...damn bastard's been real elusive lately. Who knows what little plan he's got brewin' in that twisted mind." He hopped down off the truck and sighed, putting the binoculars down. "I hope Trisha has it covered, like she keeps saying."

"Dad, that woman is crazy. She's even more obsessed than you with finding that monster. Why do we listen to her again?"

Jack gave him a look. "I don't like it much either, Jackie. But she did lose her brother." He paused, and an unusually crestfallen expression spread onto his features. "And we lost Billy. Don't forget it, boy."

Jack Sr. was quite on in his years now, graying and finding it a bit harder to get around. But at nearly seventy-five, he was still amazingly spry regardless. Years of hard farm work had certainly given him the advantage. And yet every time Billy got mentioned, it seemed he might sigh, give up, and lie down on the ground to die. Jackie knew his only real reason for going on was to find that hideous creature, the Creeper they called it back in Poho County...and make him _pay_. How exactly they all planned to do this, Jackie wasn't sure. They had tried once, nearly twenty-four years ago now, and despite his father having stabbed that creature so many times there were pools of black blood around it...the damned thing still _woke up_ again after all those years. Why it didn't come after them then, Jackie didn't know. They merely went into the barn one morning to find him gone. His dad had fallen asleep, even though he tried to remain on vigilant duty, hell bent on shooting him right through the heart with his makeshift harpoon gun the instant the nightmarish thing even twitched a claw. Jack was livid, shouting and cursing for a long time after that. Later that day is when Patricia Jenner called, asking for their help.

One thing was for sure, he did miss his little brother. It would be satisfying, to get that revenge, especially after so many years.

But geezus...that was one scary-ass son of a bitch. The Creeper was ancient, wasn't he? If he was so easy to take down, it would have happened years ago, he was sure of that.

Still...dad was right. They had to do this. For Billy.

/

"No, I don't fucking want to schedule an appointment, _mam. _I need to see her right **now**." Patricia Jenner trembled in anger as she shouted into the phone. This bitch on the phone was really pissing her off. It was a god-damned nursing home, not Fort fucking Knox. "Are you deaf, honey? I said her name is _Jezelle Gay Hartman_. About eighty-eight years old now, black woman, short, kind of pudgy? She knows me. I've got to talk to her, do you hear me? It's important! You know how much money I've donated to that home?" Trish listened for a while, smoking her cigarette with enough force to practically suck the butt into her mouth. "Finally! We're getting somewhere here. Ah, so she said she'd see me, huh? Great. I'll be there later tonight. No I can't wait until after dinner." She hung up, ignoring the woman's protests on the other line. Exhaling loudly she ran a hand through her long, dark blonde hair and stared down at an old, torn photo in front of her on the desk. "Don't worry, Dar. We're gonna stop him, I promise."

Of course Trisha was getting real worried. The Creeper's twenty-three days had been up a _long_ time ago. But the reports of missing people were still popping up everywhere. And now, not just in Poho County. There had also been mysterious reports of a similar nature in upstate New York, a fishing boat had been attacked and all aboard ripped apart by rumors of a mysterious flying creature out somewhere in the Atlantic...and most recently, for several past months...in remote areas of South Carolina.

This wasn't good. Not at all. What in the hell was going on? Either the Creeper was not alone...or somehow...he'd found a way to break the cycle. And that was the most disturbing thought of all.

She had to find him. Jezelle was her last hope... that's if the old, crazy lady could even think straight any more.

/

Solarus was crawling now. His growth was certainly faster than any normal child, and sometimes the focused, intelligent look in his eyes made Ami feel rather uneasy. Three days had passed, and Goliathus had not returned. The supplies Ami had were dwindling, and quite frankly, she was getting sick to death of venison jerky. If she never had to see another deer in her life, it would be the most wonderful thing in the world. What good had it done her anyway? Yes the furs were nice, the meat was at least some food...but it did nothing to really sway Goliathus from eating humans. That was her real hope, and it seemed it just wasn't going to work.

Ami leaned against the cave wall, huddled under furs and wondering just how long Solarus and her were going to be stuck here, alone.

She examined her hands, which were gaunt and calloused, the skin seeming to just stretch over the bones. Thankfully her face didn't seem too thin, but having only a tiny, mostly fractured compact mirror from the camping supplies made it hard to get a good look. Sometimes she had gazed into the river, hoping to see her reflection, but the current was always too fast moving and didn't provide more than a hazy, distorted shape with two spindly legs.

After many hours of just watching Solarus move and explore, he finally sighed and curled up to sleep near her feet. Ami's eyelids grew heavy herself, and thoughts of how many kills Goliathus might bring home this time when he _did_ return, crept through her mind, unwanted, as she drifted off to sleep.

/

The nursing home had that rather unpleasant, yet familiar odor of stale urine the instant the automatic doors creaked open. Trisha felt bad for the poor lady, being forced to stay here. Jezelle had no family, at least none that were alive, and she hadn't for years. But she felt even worse about the fact that the last time she'd seen Jezelle...was over two decades ago when her brother was taken. Trish hadn't of _wanted_ to see her. Jezelle had been like the unwilling messenger of death, always telling them about some creepy song and someone screaming in the dark. It had crept Trish out and she almost wanted to blame her for everything. But of course it was absurd. Jezelle had only wanted to help...even if deep in her heart she had known it was going to be a fruitless mission.

Trisha found the elevators and poked the up button. The doors opened and more foul odors flooded her nose, along with something like over ripe onions. Looking at the piece of paper the receptionist had given her, she punched the number "seven" on the control panel and the ancient machine crept upwards, maddeningly slow.

As soon as the ding sounded and the door opened, Trish stepped out and made haste to room 7B. She used the knocker and rapped it loudly against the metal door. "Jezelle? Are you in there?"

Folding her arms, she waited. Old people were extremely slow. Just give her time.

She heard the faintest of shuffling sounds close to the door, heard a tiny click of the peephole opening.

"Who is that?" Came a breathy, drawling voice.

"Jezelle, it's Trisha Jenner. Remember me? I need your help, please. Can I come in?"

The peephole clicked shut, and there was the sound of a rattling security chain being removed. The lock clanked, and the door slowly creaked open.

"Patricia?"

"Yes, it's me. You remember, right?" Trish could see her now. One of her eyes clearly had a cataract, and her hair was a fine mist of tight, grey curls.

"What you doin' here? It's after dinner time, and I'm about ready to go to bed!"

Trish glanced at her watch. It was just barely nine o'clock.

"I'm sorry, forgive me. But it's important. Please Jezelle, please. Let me in so I can talk to you."

The old woman fell silent, staring at her with her one good eye for several long, uncomfortable minutes. Her voice lowered. "Now you see here, honey. I know what you might be askin' about, and I don't want nothin' to do with it no more, ya hear? Let an old woman live out her last days in peace."

Jezelle went to shut the door, but Trish jammed a foot in to block it. "I know. I really do. I didn't want to come here, and bother you, especially after so long. But_ I _haven't had peace Jezelle. And I won't...until I get my revenge."

The door opened again, this time wider. Jezelle seemed to have gotten much skinnier than Trisha remembered, and she was leaning on a cane.

"Come in."

As soon as Trish stepped inside and closed the door behind her, Jezelle jabbed a finger towards her couch. Trisha sat instantly.

"Are you a fool, chile? Really. Revenge. Is that what I heard you say?"

Trisha sighed, crossed her legs. "Yes. I've been planning it for years, trying to gain enough money and resources to bring my idea to fruition. But now, I just need to find _him_, and he's been here far longer than twenty-three days, Jezelle. Why?"

The old lady took a few steps back, shaking her head.

"_Breeder_." She whispered, barely perceptible.

"Excuse me?" Trish leaned forward, keeping her eyes riveted on the psychic's face. "You have to speak up."

Finally Jezelle pulled a chair up, which took her a while due to her feeble strength, and sat down in front of her with a groan as she rubbed her knees.

"I prefer to stand ya know...these old knees are killin' me." She yawned,and reached for a steaming hot cup of tea that was already on the coffee table. "You want some?"

"No, thanks. What did you say Jezelle?"

The old woman took her time, sipping and saying nothing for an infuriarating amount of minutes. Then with a forlorn expression, she put the tea down and gazed back at Trish, slowly shaking her head again. Now Trish could see those once brown and warm eyes coming through the haze of cataracts and age. She recognized that utter look of pity, that she gave hours before her brother was captured.

"I said _breeder_." She drawled in her deep Southern accent, and seemed to be fighting back growing fear.

"Oh god. What's a breeder, Jezelle?" _I don't think I really want to know this answer._

"Use your damned imagination. He's gone and found a rare human whose compatible with...with his _kind_."

Trisha blinked, barely beliving what she was hearing. "His kind? What is his kind, Jezelle? No one seems to know...and I've done a lot of research, believe me. I've looked at library documents, books, old papers...been to every town you can think of, asked the natives...closest thing I found to answers was an old town in the west in Texas, nicknamed the "Galloping Hills" by the people. They had a few strange tales about that creature raiding their town back in the 1800s, but it was all deemed nothing but myths and legends used to scare kids at bedtime. But they didn't have a name for it." Trish paused, and let out another sigh as she rubbed her chin in thought.

Jezelle finished off her cup of tea, carefully placing the saucer back onto the table. "Native Americans had a name, an old one they don't like to speak about. Called it the "Devil's Eagle", cause of his habit of swooping down from the air to grab people, even in the bright daylight." She slowly got up. "Some tribes, I'm sure, thought he was a god."

Trish nodded, absorbing any new information she got.

Jezelle walked over to her kitchen, and got a mug from her cupboard. "You need some coffee, honey."

Trish wanted to refuse but thought better of it. Actually coffee did sound kind of nice right now. Had she ever told Jezelle she liked it far better than tea?

Tapping her fingers she tried to remain patient as Jezelle got the percolator going. Once it started bubbling and the wonderful smells of fresh brewed beans filled the little apartment, Jezelle finally shuffled her way back over and sat down again.

There was a long amount of silence again until Trisha spoke up first.

"So...what is he then? Do you know now?"

"I seen this man recently...saw him a few times before but thought nothin' of it at first...figured maybe he was an old, old victim from a very long time ago. But that's not the case, Patricia." Jezelle answered instantly.

Trisha's eyes widened. "Are you trying to say the Creeper was maybe once a man?"

"No. But this man knew him. Knew him personally...knew him for many years."

Now the other woman had fallen silent, blinking slowly. She waited.

"This man...his name is Barabas. You know how old he is, Trish?"

Trish didn't answer, hanging on her every word.

"Thousands of years. I would sit here in this chair, concentrating on his image when it appeared to me in a dream. I don't know when these dreams will strike, but when they do, I've gotten in the habit of recording everything I see, whether on paper or in my head." She reached under the glass top of the coffee table, pulling out a notebook, and handed it to Trish.

Inside the notebook was a list of words, and some sketches of a bald man holding a dagger of some kind. She read the hastily penciled words in large print.

BARABAS-

PRIEST OR A BISHOP.

SEE HIM ALWAYS IN HUGE CATHEDRAL.

ANCIENT ROME, WEARS A WHITE TOGA. CARRIES A GOLDEN SHEATH WITH A DAGGER OR SWORD.

DIFFICULT TO COMMUNICATE WITH. HAS MENTIONED A NAME WITH URGENCY, ALONUS.

AND ALSO AELIA. AELIA HE HAS INCLINED MAY HAVE BEEN HIS DAUGHTER.

ASKED HIM ABOUT CREEPER. DESCRIBED HIM.

SAYS THAT IS GOLIATHUS.

ALONUS' SON.

ASKED HIM WHAT ALONUS IS.

SAID SHE IS HERADUS.

WHAT IS HERADUS? SAYS THEY ARE POWERFUL GARGOYLES, BUT EVEN HE DOES NOT KNOW WHERE THEY ORIGINATED. LIVED ALWAYS IN SECRET AND ISOLATION, BECAUSE FEARED BY HUMANS...NEVER UNDERSTOOD.

HAD URGENT MESSAGE, BUT COULD NOT GET IT. HE FADED OUT, I LOST THE CONNECTION.

Trisha could not believe this. So much information...and yet...it was also a shock, not really what she had been expecting at all.

"Jezelle, does this imply these creatures are not inherently evil? Or is Barabas trying to warn us about them?"

The old woman got up again, heading to the coffee pot. Trisha just waited, as she poured a mug full.

"You want cream and sugar? Or some of that skim milk crap?"

Trisha couldn't help a chuckle. "No, cream and sugar is fine, thank you."

Once she returned and handed Trisha the coffee, she spoke again.

"I don't think...and I know you don't want to hear this, Miss Jenner, but I don't think he's evil at all."  
>"<em>What<em>? How can you say that, with all the thousands of people he's killed? All the families he's torn apart?"

"I didn't say he was nice. I just said he isn't evil. You have to understand, Barabas seems concerned. Why he's showin' up now I have yet to figure out, child. He just keeps sayin' one thing..." Jezelle paused, and Trish leaned a little closer.

"What is that?"

"He's worried about his grandson."

"_Grandson?_"

"Yeah." Jezelle was looking very disturbed. Some sweat was beading on her forehead. "I told you. The Creeper found himself a breeder."

Trisha suddenly felt very faint. "Oh...oh god. Please don't tell me there's already-"

"A baby? Yes. That's who Barabas is worried about."

"Oh, shit!" Trisha got to her feet, and started pacing. "He's going to breed a bunch of man eaters? Is this what you're telling me?"

"Child, you don't understand...that-"

"I have to stop him more than every now! I **have **to!"  
>Now Jezelle stood, yelling back at her. "It's a suicide mission, you crazy fool! You'll never kill him! You can try just like all those ancient armies, and groups of villagers, and men with full armor, horses, and swords! None of them could stop him! What makes you think that you can?"<p>

Trisha laughed, shaking her head. "I don't have old fashioned swords and armor, Jez. I have a giant, electrified cage that I'm going to imprison him with, and the Taggarts are going to help me catch him."

The psychic fell silent, blinking at her for a few moments. "And then what are you going to do if you succeed in this?"

"Make him suffer, what do you think? Even if I can't kill him, and believe me I will try everything I know...I will make him pay in every way you can imagine. He won't be able to escape. It's made out of titanium steel bars. And if he touches one, he'll get zapped with over one hundred thousand volts of electricity. I've spent my whole life working hard and building a fortune for one purpose. To stop that monster forever. He will _not_ get away with murdering my little brother!" She was shuddering now in her anger and returned sadness. "He will _not_ get away with murdering Jack Taggart's son Billy, those kids that died from that school bus incident on Route nine, the mayor of Poho County's daughter, or _**anyone else**_!"

After the little tirade there was utter silence in the room for several long minutes. Then Jezelle, with tears in her eyes, slowly shook her head and took a few steps back, falling down into her chair.

"Oh. Oh child. You just don't realize what the real truth is."

/

End Chapter 7 _Well I've caught up to myself now, so the next chapter might be a little longer in coming. But don't worry, I've got plenty more to write! Please continue to review and let me know what you think or if you have any ideas you'd like me to add!_


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

/

Ami sat on the log outside of her little brick house, staring out into the night. She had for a time tried to pretend that the encounter with the ghost had never happened...but there he was again, glowing in a creepy fashion as he stood off in the distance, looking in her direction.

Goliathus had been gone for a long time, and it was becoming painfully obvious that she was being left all alone again. Well...almost all alone. As Ami watched the strange figure he finally moved and began walking towards her. Quickly she sprung to her feet and headed back towards the cave, where she had left little Solarus sleeping. But before she could even make it halfway to the entrace, he was there before her again, blocking her way. A closer inspection now showed that this white robe she thought she had seen him wearing was in fact a toga. He also had purple stripes of cloth over the garment, and on his feet were a pair of calceus. It was odd, how all of her history lessons from school were now swimming into her brain at this very moment.

Now of course this ghost made sense. He was in fact, an ancient Roman priest. The golden dagger was once again at his side, clutched in his hand this time.

Barabas.

As if on cue, he gave a slight nod. Realizing who this was suddenly caused fear to once again be replaced by fascination. Goliathus had spoken of this man, and in none too friendly a fashion, but it was really quite amazing to be standing here and looking upon a spirit that had to be over two thousand years old.

_What do you...want from me?_

_**I am watching over you.**_

At this statement Ami felt both apprehension and some kind of awed reverence.

_...why? Goliathus doesn't speak too kindly of you, Barabas._

_**Ah. You know who I am.**_

_Yeah, but-_

_**What has he told you? The cathedral? Did he speak of Alonus?**_

Ami's eyes widened, and she actually took a few steps closer, as her interest only rose. _The cathedral...yes. Though not a whole lot of details. He said it was the first lair. As for this Alonus...no. Another...heradus, I take it?_

_**Yes. But it is far more than that. **_Barabas turned his gaze away and up towards the mouth of the cave. _**Solarus.**_

_Yes...he's in there. _Ami felt a surge of motherly protection and suddenly felt worried. _You're not here to hurt him, are you?_

His head snapped back towards her, his eyes narrowing.

_**No. I have no wish to harm my grandson.**_

_Wait...what? _Ami blinked, shaking her head slightly in disbelief. Things just got more interesting every day in this new life of hers. She took a few steps closer, feeling a little more assured that this spirit in fact meant her no harm...but he was still such an imposing, striking sort of character that she kept a good distance between them regardless. The way he glowed and yet was surrounded by an eerie halo of darkness didn't help either.

_Did you say grandson...Barabas?_

_**Yes.**_

_Then...Goliathus...he's...your son? _

He nodded, but it was barely perceptible. There seemed to be a great, troubled sadness in his eyes now, even though the face remained stoic.

Ami was about to say something further when his echoey voice rang out more strongly that before in her mind.

_**Come with me, and I will show you all you want to know, young Ami. **_

_But... _Ami folded her arms across her chest, now seeming very uncertain. _I-I can't go anywhere. I have to look after Solarus until his father-_

_**Goliathus has a great peril to face and shall not return without your help. You are not his property, despite what he says, or how he treats you. It is because of you, young Ami, that he is changing, no matter how he tries to hide it. A mere "breeder"? What is this term? Alonus never used that to me. She had a great fondness for me, although she often considered herself weak for having affections towards a human.**_

He paused and immediately Ami had a flood of new questions in her mind.

_But why does he leave me alone for so long or treat me so cruelly? He spoke of tormentors once... _Ami was surprised at herself at the hot tears springing to her eyes and she fiercely tried to fight them back.

_**You care about him.**_

_Yeah...yeah I suppose I do, but-_

_**Go into the cave, hold Solarus if you feel the need to. I will not take you to Rome in the physical form...I could not even if I wanted to. But I will take you there in spirit, and show you all you need to know. For again, it is you who must help him now Ami...you are the only one who can.**_

This time when he paused, Ami only continued to listen with rapt attention, saying nothing.

_**You must awaken Alonus.**_

/

Patricia Jenner left the nursing home feeling more confused and frustrated than ever. The psychic's words just didn't make any sense. At one time she had called that creature a "demon" or a "devil", and had tried to help stop her brother's death in any way she could. Now...it seemed she was taking his side...at least in a way...and kept on insisting he wasn't evil.

She also told her she didn't understand. Understand what, exactly?

After another hour of pleading, however, Trisha had the answers she needed. The Creeper was currently using a cave for his lair in a very remote place called "Bells Rock". Jezelle had said she saw a very old brick house there, owned once by a family of poor farmers. With this information, she had pleaded with Trisha not to try and harm the child, warning her with some crazy story about the ghost of an ancient Roman priest who was very powerful and was desperate to clear his good name based on some horrible past tragedy. Whatever. Trisha didn't really care about some weird spirit she just wanted to kill that bastard and get revenge for her brother. That's all she cared about...all that mattered.

And to hell with what Jezelle said...that demon-spawned child couldn't be allowed to live either if she had any say in it.

/

Jack Taggart Jr. was getting tired, very tired. They had been going back and forth down this dirt road in Nowheresville, South Carolina for hours on end...and the tedious task combined with a constant fear of when that monster would show up were taking its toll on him. Trisha had called them insisting they were close, she had already known the Creeper was in the state due to the missing person's reports, but now she apparently had gotten some new information from that crazy psychic, what was her name?

Jezelle. Shaking his head in disbelief, he rolled down the window of the truck and peered out as he pulled over to the left shoulder and looked back into the flatbed.

"Dad...anything yet?"

"I heard somethin', Jackie. Just keep drivin' slow...and keep the lights off."

"Great," he muttered. "Perfect."

The truck slowly crept forward. From behind, a large silhouette of a winged creature swept back and forth across the sky, bathed in moonlight.

/

The remaining trek to the cave was only a few yards, but seemed like an eternity to Ami. At every step she had to keep looking back to be sure this hadn't of been just some weird dream and that it was all actually real.

And he'd be there, phasing in and out of view, and sometimes moving like he was straight out of an old movie reel. Occasionally the dagger he held seemed to glow more brightly than any other part of his form. What was _with_ that dagger, anyway?

Hm, but he had promised answers, hand't he? Ami had found the prospect of finally knowing the truth about Goliathus and his past to be both extremely exciting and also profoundly saddening. Surely..this wasn't going to be a nice story. Goliathus had not turned into a terrifying man-eater on moment's whim. This was not, as Barabas was making painstakingly clear, a normal habit of a heradus.

When the cave was finally reached, little Solarus was already there, peering out and moping with a big pout. He was obviously hungry and his puffy, tear-filled eyes were making that very clear.

"I'm sorry Sollie...here I am, here I am..." He hopped rather readily into her waiting arms and she nuzzled him close. "Momma's here now it's ok."

Ami went over to her big pile of furs and sat down. In an instant, Barabas had phased in front of her. He was so close, that Ami noticed something else about him. Around his neck was some kind of necklace...no, a bulla. It was, as she remembered, a little pouch containing some kind of protective amulets.

She also realized he had a musky but pleasant scent. _I can actually smell him, too? _Then again, didn't many stories of ghosts sometimes include smells? It was all so weird and yet intensely alluring...she could get lost in Barabas if she wasn't careful. He was way too interesting.

So why was it that with him also lingered an ability to strike fear and trepidation in others? No matter how hard she tried, she could not get fear out of the equation.

_**Are you ready now, Ami?**_

_Tell me something, priest...how are you going to do this? Am I in any danger?_

_**You have nothing to fear, young Ami. **_He said, without actually answering her question. He slowly spread out a glowing, opaque hand towards her. Taking a deep breath Ami clutched Solarus close to her with her left arm. Then she reached out her right hand and touched Barabas.

It was like being struck by a bolt of lightning. She felt herself jarring backwards as if something incredibly heavy had slammed into her, but there was no pain, only a frightening sensation of falling like she was a boulder. Almost, almost a scream came up from her throat but with an enormous amount of will she composed herself and fought it back. The sensation suddenly stopped with another slamming sensation of force and then the world was spinning. The spinning was incredibly fast and Ami felt nausea growing, but a few blessed moments later it ceased, and she found herself on her back, and staring up at a massive, rounded ceiling of a dome. The first thing she noticed was it was covered in beatiful, flowing paintings of people, angels, and mystical creatures. To her right were rows upon rows of stain-glass windows bordered in breathtaking etched gold.

A strong, and now familiar voice rang out in her mind, sounding more normal and less echoey than before.

Ami peered down over her chest to see the priest standing before her again. He didn't glow or appear see-through this time.

_Okay wow. I don't ever want to do that again._

_**We are here, in the cathedral.**_

_Yes, I've gathered that. This place is...gorgeous. _

_**Looks are deceiving. It is both a place of beauty and a place of corruption...and death.**_

Ami gulped. _Was Goliathus born and raised here, so to speak?_

_**Yes, young Ami. Yes indeed. He was to be its next guardian...**_

Barabas stopped, a pained expression now clearly on his features, and suddenly he didn't seem so imposing anymore. He seemed like an obliterated, lost soul who was desperate to accomplish something very important indeed.

_**I will spare you nothing. I shall tell you the story, and you may ask whatever you will. **_He fingered the bulla around his neck. _**First I will tell you that I am hardly a priest in any true sense of the word... **_he made a slow, sweeping motion over his garments. _**...despite what you see here. I started out as one...but then I met Alonus, and everything changed.**_

_This Alonus...was she here the whole time, or did you just meet her by chance?_

_**I cannot say for sure. One day I am in the cathedral, practicing my daily rituals at night when none other are here, and I look up to see a figure among the paintings that I did not notice before. Curious, I walk up closer and take a better look, only to see that this figure is not a painting but in fact a real creature, it moved and I saw a glint of golden eyes peering at me from upon a dark face.**_

_**I was of course frightened at first, and put my hand upon the hilt of my dagger, ready to defend myself if need be. But it...she...glided down upon enormous wings of midnight and settled before me, looking me over. I was stunned, thinking some kind of evil spirit had indeed found its way into my cathedral...a supposed holy place.**_

_**But in fact this was no demon. The creature spoke to me as I am speaking to you now...in the mind. She told me she had been watching the activities of the church for many weeks, but that it was me in particular she had taken an interest in.**_

_**I asked why...she only said that I smelled differently than all the others.**_

_**Then she asked me if I had any food. I offered her some bread that I had but she shook her head and spoke of needing raw meat. **_

_**I had my own livestock, as I was a wealthy Roman, and offered her whatever she cared to have. She took a cow, something she said was her favorite. Her appetite for the raw flesh was both frightening and fascinating...as you yourself have said about Goliathus. In a very short time she had devoured the animal down to nothing but mere skin and bones.**_

_**The rest of the night we conversed. I asked her what she was, and she told me her race were rare and dying out. They were once protectors of humans, although fear and general loathing of their carnivorous habits had caused great problems between the species in the past. Now, they would only protect that occasional "worthy" human they may come across...a human they could trust.**_

_**Alonus, as I discovered her name to be, was not certain if there were others of her kind. Being so elusive and isolated in nature, they often did not see others anyhow. She loved the cathedral, for its tall spires to hide amongst, for the glittering gold, and the paintings which fascinated her. **_

_**For many days which flowed into weeks, she returned to the great cathedral, always under cover of night, again and again. Over time, my young Ami, I grew very fond of her. Her own behavior around me began to change, she would act odd and begin to show affection...an affection that was so human and yet also so alien. I tried to resist what I thought were very wrong surges of desire in me. I tried not to see her as a human woman and yet the attraction grew no matter what I did.**_

_**On one particularly warm summer's night some months after we had first met, she came to see me as usual. On those great and magnificent wings of iridescent midnight she swept down and came up close to me, enveloping me within them in something much like an embrace. This was typical behavior, but this time around, it lit a fire in me like I had never known. I grabbed her in a tighter embrace and found myself trying to push her down onto the floor. Alonus did not resist, but she writhed about on her back and howled out in her eerie cry, her claws raking my back. I bled, but hardly cared and ignored the pain. Our union was animalistic, primal, and urgent. I had never felt such raw lust before that drove me to near insanity. For many hours our sexual bliss continued until at last Alonus forced us apart and said she must go. The hunger, she said, was an all-consuming need that was even greater than her desire for me.**_

_**She left to feed, and I fell into an exhausted sleep.**_

_**/**_

End Chapter 8 _This is a re-write of the chapter. This is definitely more of where I wanted to go with it. I got no reviews before, which was a huge disappointment considering people are always saying they like my stories and want more. Well my urge to write is going to die out like a flame in water if I get no feedback so please...if you really do like it then write a review and let me know. _


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

/

Ami wasn't quite sure how she was standing here now, in a giant cathedral in Rome, with the two thousand year old ghost of a very strange priest. Barabas was clearly a real ancient Roman, but there were all sorts of things about him that were unknown. This only caused her vague fear of him to linger. Something was off, but she couldn't quite place it. Still...the sad look in those eyes caused her to continue to give him her full attention. For now, she just listened. He had paused for a time, and then walked towards another, smaller adjoining room, with her following. It was very weird...her body felt light, almost as if she were on the surface of the moon. When she went to follow him it was more like moving in a dream. Her eyes gave her all the intricate details of a very real place, but deep inside she knew...this was not real at all. It was just a conglomeration of memories...put together by Barabas in his own mental plane.

How was he doing all of this? Appearing as a spirit, and having the ability to do what he did? This is what she wondered as they entered the next room.

As soon as they entered, Ami flew a hand to her mouth and attempted to stifle a cry with little success. This new room's ceiling and side walls were covered in bodies. Hundreds upon hundreds of them. It was a simple, domed room, much like the priest's area from before. Only it was somewhat smaller, and contained many rows of odd little shelves below the corpses, all with gently glowing candles lining their surfaces.

_Oh...god...what is...?_

Ami couldn't get the words to form coherently in her mind. Her eyes swept over the scene again and again, as if she couldn't quite grasp the reality of it.

Barabas sighed with misery. He looked at her forlornly.

_**This is my son's work.**_

She found her voice, although it trembled with emotion. _Yeah...Barabas...I could have told you that. I've seen it before, in the warehouse...but thankfully...not yet in the cave. But this..this pales in comparison-_

_**You want to know why he does this.**_

_Well of course! Except he told me once...he said it was so he could remember the suffering of his victims._

Barabas nodded, barely perceptible. He glanced over the room himself, then back at her, his ice-blue eyes glistening in the candlelight.

_**That is so. But there is more to it than that. However, I am getting ahead of myself. Let met get back to the story. After our crazed union, Alonus came back to me still. She visited for many weeks which turned into months. I was blissful with this secret relationship, since I had felt somewhat of an outcast amongst my own fellow Romans. That in itself is another story that is not important, but it caused me to be as much of a loner as my unusual partner. When Alonus was here, she would lie upon the stone table over there and talk with me for many hours... **_he pointed to the structure to his left. It was a simple design, with a slight indentation in the center, almost like a type of long bowl. _**Here was a place for animal sacrifice, although its purpose changed. I used it to slaughter animals for Alonus, although she was perfectly capable of hunting on her own. It was like spoiling her...although I do not know why I felt compelled to do this. **_

_**After so much time I learned to trust this heradus without fear. I told her then that I was once married, and had a daughter.**_

_**Her name was Aelia. I told Alonus that my wife had left me, and Aelia was all I had left. My wife's betrayal had caused me to become a bitter man, and I swore I would never love anther person again. It also did something to my mind...it caused me to do something much later in this story that to this day...I still regret.**_

Ami blinked, listening intently. The lingering unease nagged at her even more. Somehow...she hated being right about these feelings, and saying nothing waited for him to continue.

_**As time went on this new life of mine turned into obsession. I longed to be with Alonus all the time, not just at night. I begged her to come during the day, but she refused, not wanting to risk being seen by other humans. **_

_**I longed to be with her intimately as well, but she had become irritable and kept me away. Not denying my company, mind you, but she began to loathe being touched in any sexual fashion...and her appetite actually began to diminish. I thought for certain she had become sick, this was so unlike her. Finally, she admitted her cranky behaviour and sore body could mean only one thing...she had become with child.**_

_**Normally Alonus is not one to show her emotions freely. But I could see the elation on her face as clear as day. I however...was in shock. I could not comprehend or accept what she was telling me.**_

_**I refused to believe it...or even acknowledge it...but I kept most of these feelings to myself.**_

_**For the entire pregnancy it went on this way. Then one night she went into labor. She called out to me...wanting my company or assistance, I could not tell. But I did not go to her, I could not. **_

_**The child came. It was male. After many hours, she herself came out of the room and ambled over to where I was sitting in my chair, head in my hands. She held the infant to her chest, wrapped in cloth. On her face remained a smile of happiness despite the weariness in her eyes, but I had to force myself to look at the child.**_

_**He did not appear human at all. He did have my eyes however...a deep blue. Alonus chattered on about how a heradus child had not been born in a very long time and for herself this was her first born. I was glad to know of her joy, but I felt nothing but unease about the child. I kept these feelings to myself. A couple of days later she had a name.**_

_**Goliathus. She said it was the name of her grandfather from very long ago. I asked what happened to him. She fell silent and told me nothing.**_

_**Alonus did most of the raising, she did not seem to expect me to do much, since what could I do anyhow? I did not mind, however, I preferred it that way. Still, she would come at night at her usual time, and always bring him so that I could spend some time with him. I absorbed myself in my work in the cathedral, one of the main tasks being to repaint the inside. There was a scaffolding built of wood that I used often to climb up and painstakingly work on the task, often spending many hours doing this. Alonus would watch with interest, and allow Goliathus to explore in the meantime. He grew very quickly. It seemed to me that almost overnight he began to crawl...then walk...then even test out his wings to fly. It would take many years for him to fledge fully, as Alonus explained to me, but he could glide and made full use of the ability. At times he would watch me paint, and tried to copy me. He spent a lot of time practicing drawing...I knew then he was very much an artist at heart. It did soften me a little to know this...he was emulating his father.**_

_**I managed to continue this secret life with Alonus and Goliathus for quite a few years. My daughter, Aelia, would often visit during the day, while Alonus was gone to wherever her other home was...I really did not know where she went during the day, and I never felt the need to ask. **_

_**Now when my daughter was going on eighteen, she began to long to marry and start her own life. It was this need within her that caused the beginning of a terribly tragic chain of events.**_

Barabas paused, looking at Ami. She could only stare back at him with wide, sad eyes, completely lost in his story.

_**It all started when Aelia decided to arrive unannounced one night. She never came at night, although she did know I often worked at these late hours. I was on the scaffolding, working on restoring some of the figures on the ceiling. Goliathus, who was now a teenager himself, was nearby, perched on one of the wooden boards and sketching the figures on parchment, trying to copy what he saw. He often asked me why we painted ourselves on walls...with other mystical creatures, and why there were no heradus. It was difficult to explain to him these things, although he often did not question things further if I failed to be able to answer him. He would just look sullen, and continue to draw.**_

_**I was immersed in my task, carefully retracing the figure of an exquisite angel when I heard a stifled cry. I looked down, and there was my daughter, her doe brown eyes riveted onto Goliathus. **_

_**I had to act quickly before she lost herself and went screaming into the night, alarming the entire city. I climbed down and grabbed her just before she could turn and go out the door, ready to bolt in fear. **_

_**It took a while, but I eventually managed to calm her down. I rapidly spoke trying to explain everything. There would be no point in lying. Aelia could scarcely believe it, but the proof of what I told her was right before her eyes. When Alonus came not a few hours later, I introduced them. Though still fearful I could see the fascination in her gaze. Truly, my daughter was like me. Her mind and comprehension of the world was different...more mature, and accepting.**_

_**She began to sneak into the cathedral at night to see the heradus and speak with them, always full of questions. It annoyed Goliathus at first, but Alonus was like a patient grandmother, taking the time to answer her and telling her absorbing stories. After a time, my son warmed to her as well. I was glad to see this...until it began to turn into something else.**_

_**The first thing I noticed was my daughter spending more time with Goliathus. She wanted to learn how to draw too and pestered him for lessons. He found it amusing, but obliged her and tried to teach her. Her skills grew, and as they did, he seemed to also grow a new and profound interest in her. **_

_**Alonus did not seem to be concerned with it. She only smiled, happy to know of another accepting human. She told me that it was likely Goliathus would guard her...as Alonus watched over me. Our own relationship was still strong. We spent many nights in privacy together, and I knew how much I loved spending time with her...so I too pushed away the concern.**_

_**A few months later, as summer neared once again, I had finished the restoration of the ceiling. Proud and knowing my son was eager to see the completed task, I went to find him. I walked all over the cathedral, but he was nowhere to be found. I went outside the grounds and searched, but still nothing. Somewhat concerned I went back inside and to the back room where the table was. It was then I heard something...coming from the basement. It was a strange sound...like a muffled moan...barely heard.**_

_**I opened up the trap door and walked down the cold, winding stone staircase to the basement. It was merely an area of storage down there, with chests and boxes filled with various items and clothes. I quietly searched about, listening, then my attention was drawn to a small door that led to a private chamber for meditation. It had not been used for a long time, so I wondered why anyone would be in there.**_

_**I had my hand on my dagger, just in case. I flung open the door, and there was Goliathus. **_

_**With my daughter...and in an act of fornication.**_

_**The shock that overwhelmed me stunned me so that I could barely move. My daughter looked at me with desperate, pleading eyes that were already full of the shame of being caught. Goliathus merely blinked at me.**_

_**I roared out, pulling Aelia away as she shrieked, and demanded she leave and go back to her mother's house. She tried to babble excuses at me, but I would not listen. In tears she ran out and I was left there with Goliathus.**_

_**I stared at him. I asked him what he had done. Aelia was his half-sister.**_

_**He did not understand why this would be wrong, but said that he was her guardian, and she had insisted on them coming down to the basement. He felt something for her he said, and she had made it clear she loved him as well.**_

_**I continued to yell at him loudly in my fury...so much so that Alonus, who had finally arrived, came down into the basement to find out what was going on.**_

_**I explained everything to her, and she agreed with me, sternly telling Goliathus that the relationship had to end, and immediately.**_

_**He did not like this, of course, and became angry at the both of us. **_

_**Things returned to normal for a while...whatever normal could be considered with our bizarre family. Then my daughter came finally to see me again...some seven months later...and this was the day that destroyed everything.**_

_**My daughter...her middle had grown huge. I found out to my great and utter horror...that she was pregnant, and had been hiding that fact from me until now. Crying she knew full well I would be beside myself, but she begged and pleaded to keep the child. She wanted to raise it. By now I had gone mad with fury. I saw nothing but blackness around my vision and my common sense, or whatever I might have had left of it. I grabbed my golden dagger with trembling hands.**_

_**In a moment of true insanity I cried out and attacked her. The dagger drove deep into her abdomen, a river of crimson quickly pooling beneath as she staggered back, her mouth wide in horrified shock. I will never forget those eyes...and the betrayal, regret, and misery that reigned within them. She gasped, gagged as blood came up to her throat, and then fell to the floor dead along with her unborn child.**_

_**Goliathus heard her scream, and came up from the basement where he had been rooting arond for art supplies. He saw what I had done and went still as a stone. I had fallen to my knees and was staring at the lifeless body of my daughter, and as the episode of insanity passed the full weight of what I had done began to settle painfully upon my shoulders.**_

_**Alonus returned that night about an hour later. When she saw the carnage, she felt more pity than anger. I did not understand. How could she not be angry with Goliathus, who had gotten his own half-sister pregnant? It was then I realized she truly did not see things as humans did. To her, it was an unfortunate consequence of a race that was dying out. Compatible humans were rare, and because I had been compatible...genetics had allowed my daughter to be...a "breeder", as well. The impulse to propagate the species ruled out.**_

_**To me it was all so inane. I could not accept it. It was a mortal sin, I told her. **_

_**"**__**You**__** Barabas, have committed a mortal sin. Your daughter is dead by your hands, and also the life of her unborn child. It is you who will have to deal with the consequences of such." Alonus said she would soon leave and take Goliathus with her. She felt I could no longer be trusted, and that we needed time apart because she feared my sanity would completely be lost. She called herself weak for having fallen for a human, and admitted she never should have revealed herself to me. Even as she said these words, I saw the sadness in her face. I knew she loved me, but could not bear to admit it.**_

_**I went mad with grief. I told her I wanted her to stay, and that I had not meant to kill my daughter. I said aloud for the first time that I loved her, and there were now rare tears in her eyes. But nothing I said would undo the atrocity I had committed.**_

_**Of course the death of my daughter, young Ami, did not go unnoticed. I tried to hide her body in the basement, but people were asking around, her friends and especially her mother, since she had gone missing. My daughter's pregnancy, apparently, had not been discovered because she had hidden it well amongst loosely worn clothing, and that was a secret that would never be uncovered. **_

_**But as suspicion grew over the weeks, a group of Roman soldiers came and raided the cathedral. They soon found Aelia's rotting corpse hidden in a large chest, and I was sentenced to death.**_

_**When Alonus heard of this, she could no longer keep herself away from me. She could not allow the other humans to kill me. One night before my sentencing she came to me and told me she would help me escape. I pleaded for her not to, I feared she would be harmed or worse if they found her. **_

_**Goliathus...despite the hatred boiling in his narrowed eyes...stayed by my side. I knew I had rent a terrible scar into his psyche. And yet...apparently he would help his mother protect me, even if he did not agree with it.**_

_**I felt like the lowest scum of the Earth. Who was I, to know these heradus at all, to have been gifted their company? I wanted to die, and thankfully, I surely would by morrow's eve. Again I pleaded to Alonus not to come to my aid, but she wept bitterly.**_

_**The next day the Roman soldiers came for me...I was to be burned alive at the stake. I did nothing to fight them, I did not struggle or plead. My death, as I felt, was deserved, and at this point in my wretched life...very much welcomed.**_

_**And yet Alonus did not listen to me. Once they had me tied to the stake, she came out of nowhere, screeching like a banshee and swooping down upon the solider who was trying to start the fire. Her claws dug into his neck and she left him on the ground, alive but moaning in pain. Full of fury and emotion, she turned to the other soldiers and demanded they let me go.**_

_**Their was chaos now everywhere. The citizens who had come to watch were all screaming in terrible fear and certain a demon had come to destroy them all or put a curse on them. We ancient Romans were a very superstitious and foolish people. As I have said before, my daughter and I had been very different. We were not so blinded as to ruled by fear. You, young Ami, are much like us.**_

He came forward to put a hand on her shoulder briefly, then sighed and continued.

_**I could only watch helplessly as a hoard of soldiers arrived, quickly throwing ropes. Alonus pleaded with them, but they ignored her as if she were not talking at all. **_

_**I had a curious thought in my mind how her voice sounded even more lovely spoken than mentally exchanged. It was the last pleasant thought I would ever have.**_

_**She was powerful, and managed to fight away several of the soldiers who were trying to tie her up. Those mighty wings would flap and send great gusts of wind over them, enough to knock even the strongest down. But in the end, there were just too many. They came, drove after drove of soldiers, and eventually, Alonus could no longer fight them off. The panic in me grew.**_

_**Could they kill her? Could she die?**_

_**Where was Goliathus?**_

_**I looked around for him, but I did not have to look for long. He had seen his mother in distress, her head crest up and her screeching howl filling the air. Roaring he dove in to protect her, and being far stronger as a guardian male, he tore apart many of the captors. His mother actually screamed at him to stop, but he would not. It was like he was in a mad sort of frenzy. He kept killing the humans, one after the other.**_

_**Alonus now paid no attention to her captors, to her pain, even to me. Her eyes were riveted to her son and she was practically hoarse screaming at him to stop.**_

_**I looked at Alonus, seeing the fear in her golden eyes as I had never seen before. What did she fear?**_

_**Not men...not any of those who would harm her. Her son frightened her. His behavior horrified her. But Goliathus ignored her pleas.**_

_**Would you believe, young Ami, that he managed to kill all of the soldiers? By the time his fury was finished...no one was left standing, except for myself, still tied to the stake and trembling in an overwhelming myriad of emotions.**_

_**Alonus was sobbing, she was on her knees and rocking back and forth.**_

_**After a long time, she finally stood and cut my ropes with her claws. I could barely walk, I staggered as if my knees were liquid. **_

_**Then Alonus gave out an ear-piercing shriek, screaming "NO!". I turned unsteadily to see what was going on. Goliathus had torn open the abdomen of one of the soldiers and was about to devour his organs with an almost demonic coldness in his gaze. His mother tried to stop him, but he snarled and for the first time that I had ever seen, they fought...and viciously.**_

_**But it did not last. He froze and looked around, as if snapping out of a trance. There was now an utter silence but I knew they had switched to mental conversation and I closed my eyes, trying to hear them.**_

_**I could not. The conversation was private. After a few minutes, Goliathus turned to me and told me his mother was a fool. He did not know what she saw in me. With that he flew away with a snarl.**_

_**I was then alone for a few nights, with Alonus, back at the cathedral, which was ruined...everything which could be burned was, and all that remained was the stone shell of the walls. We did not know where Goliathus went, and feared he would not return, but he finally did.**_

_**Our relationship was extremely troubled from that day on. Alonus had grown withdrawn from her son, although on a daily basis she still pleaded with him to forgive me. But he would not.**_

_**And yet...my dear, young Ami...this is not the end of the story.**_

She nodded, very slowly. _The tormentors? Where do they come in?_

_**First Ami, let me tell you what happened next. I knew I could not stay in that cathedral, or in the city any longer. I was a hunted, hated, and feared man. They all thought me a warlock and some even believed I had summoned these "monsters" in an act of evil, intent on taking over the city. I had to leave...so I went with Alonus and my son. She flew me to her cave in a location far from the city. The place was huge, and I soon settled into it as my new home.**_

_**But it was a very troubled, uneasy existence. My son only glared at me and barely spoke to me...or his mother. Alonus was indeed becoming estranged from him, and her depression only grew. I tried to comfort her as best as I could, but she could not be consoled.**_

_**I pleaded with her to tell me what was wrong, but she would only gaze at me with glittering golden eyes, looking so hopeless and lost.**_

_**Goliathus would not listen to either of us, either. He did what he wanted, and went back to the cathedral to try and restore it (for this was, to him, his real home) and repaint the walls. We told him it was too risky to go back there, but he did not seem to care.**_

_**One day, Goliathus did not return. Alonus and I grew worried, so she went to look for him. **_

_**Then it was Alonus who did not return.**_

_**I had no choice but to gather some meager food supplies and a skin of water and make the long trek back to the cathedral. It took me nearly five days, and by the time I got there I was weak with dehydration and exposure.**_

_**I searched the cathedral, only to find it empty. Where had they gone? Had Alonus taken her son and abandoned me?**_

_**But no...I knew she would not do this. There seemed to be an unbreakable wall of love between us, that stood the test of time and these horrid events. She had to be out there. I knew something was very wrong, so I continued the search.**_

_**I took a huge risk at being discovered. I knew the instant anyone found me I would be killed, but nothing mattered to me anymore but finding them.**_

_**Under cover of night I traveled, until one fateful day I found them.**_

_**I had gone back to the cathedral for some reason I could not quite place...and heard a noise, coming from the basement. I went down there...only to find nothing...except I was still hearing the noise...a terrible cry of agony.**_

_**It sounded like Goliathus. I called out to him, and in my mind, there was the loud and plaintive cry.**_

_**'Father! Help me! They have mother-'**_

_**The words were cut off, and I could literally feel his pain, a sharp, burning sensation across my gut. I tore about that basement, throwing aside chests, boxes, and old chairs until I found something I never knew existed here. Another entrance...leading to yet another stairwell...winding down deep into the bowels of the earth.**_

_**As I went down these stairs slowly, carefully...I still had my dagger and had it clutched tightly in my right hand. I grasped the bulla around my neck, praying for protection.**_

_**I heard eerie chanting as I neared the bottom. When I finally came into this new, hidden chamber, I saw a group of men in long white robes standing around. I could just make out my son tied to a stone table and screaming hoarsely. There was blood everywhere, a black blood that I knew was not human blood.**_

_**Gripped with rage I then saw out the corner of my eye Alonus. They had her tied with chains to the wall. One of her beautiful golden eyes was gone...someone had plucked it out, and rather crudely. Her abdomen was also half torn open, with her intestines hanging to the floor. As I took a few steps closer I did not even care that the twenty-three men here had finally seen me. All I could see was the look of unbearable pain on the destroyed face of my beloved.**_

_**She was still alive, and suffering greatly. **_

_**'Barabas...'**_

_**I tried to run to her, to tear off her bonds and free her from this wicked place. But I felt sudden and hot, shearing pain in the middle of my back. One of the tormentors had stabbed me, and quickly cold and utter weakness numbed my body. Again I felt another stab, then another. I managed to turn around and sink my dagger into the throat of one of the attackers, and watched him die in satisfaction.**_

_**But then over the shoulder of another man who grabbed me, I saw my son.**_

_**They had done far worse to him. I will spare you the details only here, young Ami. Just know that whatever he has done to his human victims...is all the same of which they did to him.**_

_**I then heard Alonus' agonizing cry of death. They sank a sword deep into her heart, and she went limp.**_

_**It was this that caused Goliathus to find a sudden surge of supernatural, truly frightening strength. He managed to burst free of his chains and in a snarling fury maimed and tore apart every one of those men just like he had done before to those Roman soldiers. Except this time he also consumed them . All of them.**_

_**I lay on the floor, dying. He came and stood over me.**_

_**'I have a special place for you father, ' he said, his voice manic and claws flexing with uncontrolled blood lust. 'Do not worry.'**_

_**I was blacking in and out of consciousness, but I remember he took me upstairs. He was talking to me about something regarding a new form of art that would be more spectacular than just mere paintings, but most of the words were not registering as the world grew more dim. **_

_**My last memory as a living man was looking down at the cathedral floor from high above, and realizing I could not move my hands or feet. I seemed to be pinned there, like an ornament. I saw Goliathus coming, scrambling up the wall much like a spider.**_

_**He stared directly into my eyes with such an icy coldness that I felt raw fear surge through me like I had never known before.**_

_**'I will eat your heart, father. And then... you will live on forever.' His claw rent open my chest, and indeed, he ripped out my heart.**_

_**That, young Ami, is the end of my story, but only the beginning of his. You see, I had ruined my son. It was all my fault...when I killed my daughter I shattered something within Goliathus. I sent him to insanity. In some way he had forgiven me...because in the end he chose to use me as his first vessel of his new art form as if a final act of reverence. He put me at the very top of the ceiling...and then I was surrounded by the next victims...the twenty three men who had tormented him.**_

_**As you know...it did not end there. Time only made things worse...Goliathus become like a statue, devoid of emotion or care, and continued to kill. The human world had betrayed him, killed his mother, tortured him, and shown him nothing but hatred and fear.**_

_**This was why Alonus spoke of very few humans being 'worthy'. **_

_**But I was no worthy human...I was only a failure. And my failure caused the creation of this monster you call the "Creeper". **_

Barabas stopped speaking, and fell into a sullen silence. Ami's eyes were puffed and red from the tears that had not stopped since he began. Slowly and carefully she went to him, and sat down next to his ghostly form, right there on the floor. Looking up she saw he was indeed telling the truth...his body was up there, right up at the top.

_What...what happened to Alonus?_

He did not move his gaze from the floor. _** Goliathus hid her body in one of the walls...down in the basement.**_

_How am I supposed to find her, then? _

_**I know you cannot get to Rome, young Ami. You will have to try and break into her mind, and awaken her.**_

_But...but you said they killed her...? I don't understand, Barabas._

_**They did kill her, in a sense. But I know the restorative powers that the heradus have. Given the right circumstances, I know she can be revived. In a way, I do not think they can truly be killed. **_

_But then where would the others be?_

Barabas shook his head, finally looking at her again_**.**_

_**I am sorry. But I do not have all the answers. There are things that Alonus had not told even me...but I do know one thing. She is the only one who can help you ...and you are the only one who can help Goliathus. **_He actually smiled at her,although faintly. _**I know that you love my son. **_

_**And young Ami...I know that you can break him of this curse of hatred, because you can heal his damaged mind.**_

_**/**_

End Chapter 9 _ Wow. This was so hard to write..but I didn't want to try and work around this story anymore just to make it easier on my self. This is how I want it to go, and hopefully my efforts will be good enough. I know I am taking some liberties here...but it's a story so just bear with me. While I'm trying to be as realistic as possible with Roman customs it may not be 100% accurate...but then again it's fun to just imagine stuff as you go along. :P REVIEW OR ELSE. I mean, review please...I'm starvin' over here! ;)_


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

/

As Ami slowly came to the first thing she noticed was that the light of the sun was hurting her eyes. Forcing her eyelids open, she saw that it was morning and she was lying down on the furs, facing the entrance. The fires in the cave had almost died out completely, and her body felt like a stone. Struggling to move she managed to get into a sitting position.

_Barabas?_

She was back to the real world, but the ghost was nowhere to be found.

Ami cringed at the terrible headache raging in her head. God, but what she'd do to get some Tylenol right about now. On that thought she decided she needed a drink of water very badly, her mouth was as dry as dust.

Slowly she got to her feet and took careful, shaky steps to search her camping bag...and found there was only one water bottle left with less than half of the liquid remaining.

Well, better than nothing. She polished it off and then wondered what she was going to do about getting more food and water. If she couldn't eat enough, then surely Solarus would-

_Wait...Solarus? _Her energy suddenly seemed to return in full force.

Spinning around, Ami's eyes wildly searched about but she didn't see him anywhere. With growing panic she peered over the edge of the entrance...no, she didn't see anything down there. Blindly she raced into the back room...the feeding room...and then stopped dead in her tracks. The place was a workshop of horrors...nothing new really...but there was an old wooden table with ropes...obviously where still living victims were tied...and the wood had become nearly black with layers and layers of blood soaked into it. There were bodies all over the place as usual, but here...they seemed more haphazardly arranged...almost as if Goliathus were rushing, or maybe even caring less about how they looked.

Signs of his claws were everywhere...large grooves in the wood, white scratch marks upon the walls...and even some of the bodies had claws marks rent deep into the preserved flesh, along with bits and pieces missing. Had he had some sort of...episode?

Ami searched around, her curious nature always getting the best of her.

"Solarus? Are you in here?" Damn but where had the child gone off to? If anything happened to him, she'd never forgive herself!

_Mumma! _

Ami blinked at the tiny sting in her head, more like a tickle. She looked around carefully, trying not to disturb anything or even touch it for that matter...but it didn't seem her son was in here.

Hopefully, this time around, she might be able to talk to him mentally without causing him pain.

_Where are you, Sollie? Momma's looking for you._

She heard a squeal in her mind.

_No...talk...noooo. Talk? Mumma._

_Where are you, baby?_

_Where. You? Baby!_

Ami sighed. Solarus was perhaps old enough to understand for all she knew, but apparantly not old enough to make any sense.

He seemed, at least, to be all right. But she had to find him. It was then she noticed an old, rickety bookcase crammed with books, papers, most of them furred with mold but a few looking in halfway decent condition. There was a particularly interesting journal, hand-made it seemed, and some crudely drawn figures of what had to be heradus on the front. There were two...Goliathus obviously, flying near the moon and another one...more slender and with long hair.

_Alonus?_

There was also a man, looking up at them. The bald head, toga, and dagger told Ami immediately who it was, but the picture was odd. What did it mean?

Ami opened it up, and saw an angry, slanted sort of writing in thick black ink. It was actually in English, and a collection of chaotic thoughts that sometimes didn't make sense. Scanning the pages she stopped when she came towards a more recent entry.

_**Ami is sad today. At times...the way she looks at me...it reminds me of my mother's eyes. The way she would stare at me with levels of infinite sadness.**_

_**This breeder. She is a pesty creature. At times I would rather kill her, but then I laugh at myself...killing her for sure would kill my own race. Who else exists, but myself?**_

_**Mother has been gone for millennium. I only knew of her.**_

_**I still remember her. This heradus memory...a curse in itself. I remember everything...even the tortures of my tormentors.**_

_**I have seen father lately. He has been wandering for so long, but I had not seen his ghost for many years. It must be Solarus. Did he come to see his grandson? Charming.**_

_**I could care less. I cursed him to wander, since I am cursed with this addiction to human flesh.**_

_**I crave it, and yet I also hate it.**_

_**Why am I writing this? I do not know. So many thoughts troubling me that have not been on my mind for more centuries than I can count. I am tired of it. I want it gone. So much easier to know nothing but hate and hunting, killing and eating.**_

_**It is a wretched existence...but an existence all the same.**_

Ami looked over the journal for a while, until thoughts of Solarus jump-started her worry again and she carefully put the journal back on the shelf.

She had to find that child. Not for Goliathus, not for the heradus race...it was important, yes...but that baby meant more to her than life itself.

/

"_Jackie, god dammit! Get in the driver seat and be ready to take off!" _For hours the Taggarts had been looking for the Creeper...and now, he had found _them_. In his usual fashion he had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, screeching and divebombing the truck, attempting to grab one of the two, but Jack Sr. had fended him off with a good 'ol rifle, blowing huge chunks out of his chest and leg. Still, both of them knew this wouldn't hold him off for long.

Jackie was in the back of the parked truck, trying to help his father maneuver the giant pole-puncher harpoon. His father kept trying to shove him away.

"Dad I'm not gonna just sit here and do shit! If we aim this thing right we'll get him square on!" The Creeper howled and dove again, this time something whistled through the air and Jackie hit the deck, narrowly avoiding getting impaled with a shuriken.

"Don't you get it Jackie?" his father asked, lowering his voice. "It's just a distraction, Trisha is gonna handle the rest. "

"I don't trust that crazy bi-"

"Dammit just listen to me, ok? Now get this thing started. GO!"

With a yell of frustration Jackie finally complied, leaping off the side of the truck and quickly getting into the driver's seat. He jammed the key into the ignition and started the engine...waiting for his dad's next instruction, but not liking any of this one damned bit.

Not far away, Patricia Jenner was watching the entire scene with a pair of binoculars. She could see_ him _clearly, and ground her teeth in her utter hatred. Still, she'd have to wait until the right moment. Getting too impatient to nail the bastard could ruin everything she had worked so hard on to accomplish. Trisha leaned against the large black truck carefully hidden amongst the bushes and trees. A few silhouettes of highly camouflaged men holding some kind of long, pointy weapons could be seen, remaining as still as possible. Trisha narrowed her eyes with a slight grin. Just a few more minutes...

/

_Sollie? Sollie answer mamma! Where are you?_

After thoroughly searching the rooms of the cave for an hour Ami had satisfied herself that her child wasn't in the cave. Pulling a handful of hair in her rising panic she decided to leave the cave and search outside. Carefully she climbed out, stretching each foot towards each rocky foot hold slowly and with extreme caution. The rocks were slippery today from a previous rain, and the last thing she needed was to fall and get seriously injured. After several grueling minutes she finally reached the bottom. For a while she just stood there, scanning the area for any signs of movement.

"Solarus?"

_Mumma. Flay! Flay?_

Flay? Did he mean...play?

_You want to play? Ok, let's play a game! But you have to tell me where you are!_

_Game! Flay game!_

Ami heard a rustle, from up above. Her eyes shot up immediately only to see Solarus perched on a high branch in a tree, and upon meeting her gaze he squealed with a laugh, his tiny wings flapping in excitement.

_Flay game?_

Ami held her hands up towards him. _Solarus, come down. Now. Please!_

He looked down, his happy expression quickly diminishing.

_No down. Nooo._

_How did you get up there? _Ami had a sudden thought and looked over her shoulder back towards the cave entrance. It was almost level with where Solarus had perched himself in the tree.

_He glided! My little Solarus is gliding already... _Ami smiled faintly, but it didn't last.

"Solarus, you come down, _now_!"

He whimpered, tears forming in his eyes. _Down. No. Down._

Ami took a deep breath, trying to figure out what to do. She couldn't go climbing up that tree...it was a pine and didn't have any branches close to the ground. And Solarus was rather high up. Her body...it was skinny as a rail, and at times, Ami had even felt short of breath. For days she hadn't eaten properly, and the strength just wasn't there. They had to leave the cave...and go in search of supplies in a nearby town. How Ami would manage to do this she wasn't sure...but one way or the other...staying in the cave just meant rotting away to death.

_Okay Solarus this is what you do...you open up your wings like this... _Ami held out her arms far from her sides. Solarus tilted his head at her then copied her with a giggle, holding out his arms.

_No...your wings, baby. Not your arms!_

_Wins?_

_No not wins...wings. Just glide down to mamma, ok? Glide down!_

The increased frustration and worry in Ami's mindvoice caused Solarus' lower lip to start quivering. He bent forward, still clutching to the perch, then quickly leaned back. Shaking his head he then started crying.

Ami sighed, slapping a hand against her forehead and pulling on her hair again. Maybe this would require a harsher method.

_Ok fine, if you won't come down, then stay there, and mamma is going back to the cave without you._

With that, Ami turned her back and slowly started to walk away. Solarus' cries grew louder, but she continued to walk.

_No! Mumma, no weave! Mumma!_

Ami heard the faintest sound of rushing wind, then was startled by a weight hitting her back and she felt claws digging into her skin. He scrabbled, causing her more pain, but managed to pull himself over her shoulder and then down into her arms.

_Mumma. No weave Sollie._

She burst out into laughter, not being able to help it, and nuzzled him with tears in her eyes. "You are a heap of trouble, you know that? A heap of trouble. C'mon, we need to go. We can't stay in the cave any longer."

_Go? Cave._

Yes they would leave. And Ami prayed that whatever powers-that-be would keep her strength miraculously going for the long days ahead.

/

After a few hours Ami had gathered all she could in the big duffle bag. Some clothes, a few remaining candles with matches, a canteen for water she'd hopefully find along the way, about a handful of jerky that smelled like old shoe leather, a tiny sliver of soap, and all the money she could find. Counting it she had well over three hundred dollars...but it wouldn't do her any good if she couldn't find the town. Thankfully, Goliathus had all kinds of things on his bookshelf including maps. She had found one for the local area, although map-reading was not one of her talents.

In all honesty the whole trip was suicide, probably. Where was Barabas? How did he expect her to wake up this Alonus without his help?

That damned crazy priest. He was asking a lot from her, and she didn't have a whole lot to give. She could barely walk half a mile without needing to catch her breath. At some point as they set out on their journey...just Ami and little Solarus hidden as well as possible under a black hoodie...she neared a large pond formed by rainwater and had stood near it for several minutes, staring...and not recognizing the stick thin girl dressed in shabby clothes staring back at her with big, worried eyes. The duffel bag hanging from her back looked ridiculous, bulging out from both her sides like it was mocking her.

The world _was_ mocking her, wasn't it? From the very first instance she had been abducted...the world had been laughing maniacally in her face.

/

The truck lurched forward as it turned sharply, and Jack Sr. tumbled out onto the pavement, grunting from the impact just as the heradus swept over his head, missing by a couple of inches. Quickly Jack scrambled to his feet, but his energy was waning...he was just too damned old for this shit, and the Creeper had not shown any signs of tiring. How much longer was Trisha going to draw this out?

Jackie shoved the driver's side door open and ran to this father. "Geezus, you ok?"

"Yeah, yeah, just peachy. Get back in the damned truck, you're just a sitting duck standing out here like this!" Jack grabbed his arm and led his protesting son back to the seat, and then the Creeper was suddenly next to them, glaring at them maliciously, his lips pulled into a snarl.

As if in slow-motion, Jack reached for the rifle across the front seat, grabbing it and spinning back around to fire, but his nemesis predicted this action and a clawed hand came down, raking across his face and down his chest. Jack screamed out in pain, dropping the gun in reflex, and it went off, firing harmlessly upwards towards the open sky. The Creeper moved back just slightly, startled from the blast, and then their was a strange, electric crackling that Jackie heard in his ears.

It looked like a sleek, black missile, but the glimpse of it was brief. It drove deep into the Creeper's side, and then Jackie's eyes went wide at the sight of lightning-like electricity bolts covering its body in the next moment.

The Creeper shrieked louder than before, falling to the ground and thrashing about as if in a seizure. Jack, bleeding but not seriously harmed, took this opportunity to grab his son and run around the truck to the flatbed, where they crouched down low, peering just slightly over the taillight to watch the action.

Trisha and her crew of ten men came out of hiding and into the open in a flash. More weird crackling sounds, and more of the strange weapons went hurling through the air, slamming into the Creeper again and again. He continued to scream, and the smell of his charred flesh began to permeate the air around them.

"How's that feel...you fucking monster?" Trisha simply folded her arms and watched, as the men continued firing, one after the other, until finally the Creeper went completely still as if dead.

"Tie him up with those silk ropes with as many knots as you can, and get him in the transport cage. If he even blinks, zap him again."

Trisha's crew of men were all strong and seemingly fearless, but they were a very select group. Not just _anyone_ could know her plans, this had to be done with people she could trust. And money could talk to anyone ...even army soldiers. Even police. Hell, even FBI if she really wanted to. It wasn't really necessary though. These hardened soldiers were more than good enough. And, she had made sure to select people who had lost family...missing person's cases...all she was very certain the Creeper was responsible for.

Hadn't of taken much to convince these guys. They had only one goal on their minds and that made it easy to control them even more than the million dollars each to keep their mouths shut.

Revenge.

/

By the time night was falling, Ami was exhausted. She knew full well she couldn't travel by night, and so she found a small clearing in the woods and started a campfire. Once she got that going, she simply lied down on the ground to rest, using the duffel bag as a pillow. Solarus crawled up close to her neck and curled up, trying to stay warm. It could be awfully hot during the day, but the nights were chilly.

Ami didn't have a tent. If it rained, she would risk getting sick for certain, and they hadn't even traveled very far...maybe ten miles?

_What the hell am I doing out here? I'll never make it-_

_**Young Ami.**_

Solarus woke up quickly, looking past the flames of the fire. Ami saw it too, hovering slightly above the ground and glowing in the eerie dark halo.

_What the hell...Barabas. Nice of you to show up._

_**Why have you left the cave?  
><strong>_

Ami sat up, putting her arms around her knees while Solarus ducked behind her, afraid of the spirit.

_I am running out of food, what do you think? I've been alone for weeks and without Goliathus to bring me supplies I'll just end up sitting in that cave to rot. I have to move on._

_**If you awaken Alonus, she can help you.**_

_Excuse me but...how long is that going to take? I need supplies NOW, Barabas, not days or weeks from now._

_**I know of a place where you can get food. There is a cabin, not too far from here. My son was there recently, but thankfully the humans had gone. It is a place for relaxation...a "vacation" I believe you call it. There are canned goods in the basement...and a bed to sleep in.**_

_That sounds marvelous. But how far is it?_

Barabas pointed ahead, over some trees, but it was too dark for Ami to really see anything past the light of the fire.

_**A day's travel...maybe. It is far closer than the town, you would not make it past the rough terrain for that long. I will guide you up the mountain to where the cabin is.**_

_You're insane, Barabas. I'll never make it._

He came down to the ground in an odd, hesitating motion as he neared. _**I cannot truly rest until my goal is accomplished, young Ami. I must make up for the great sins of my past. By helping you, I not only help my son...but also Alonus. You must persist, and not give up.**_

Ami sighed, reaching around her back for Solarus who was still staring at the ghost with eyes as wide as saucers.

_I am SO tired. So, so tired._

_**That is why you need the cabin. It will be a place for food and supplies. I will share my energy if need be, young Ami. Rest here, tonight, and I will watch over you and my grandson.**_

_**Time is short. Already they have captured Goliathus. We cannot allow them to repeat the cycle of what has happened so many years ago...or I fear whatever good is left in his mind will be gone forever.**_

_**/**_

End Chapter 10


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

/

After nearly two decades of what seemed like a never-ending nightmare, Patricia Jenner had _finally_ caught her monster. After they had tazed him until he was as crisp as burnt toast, Trisha had ordered the men to haul him into the electrified transport cage. They made sure he was chained down good and tight too...everyone learns fast with the Creeper. Never underestimate the son-of-a-bitch. Never, _ever_, let your guard down, not for one second. That lesson was sometimes learned over and over again the hard way. Jack Sr. had nearly lost his life... but thankfully he had only suffered flesh wounds. They would heal...scarred...but heal nonetheless. Didn't seem to affect the old canker sore, however. As they drove to the secret facility, Trisha could see the elation in the old man's tired eyes. He was as eager to get started as she was. Jackie...Trisha didn't know how to measure him. Sure he wanted revenge for his brother, but something nagged at him, and he wasn't telling anyone exactly what that was.

Ah well. Time to worry about that later. For now, as Trish stared ahead with both hands firmly on the wheel, she saw the secret Facility coming into view, and a broad, malicious smile slowly spread across her features.

The Creeper had no idea what he was in for. Two thousand years of human murders were going to be answered for and she truly hoped it was going to be the most unpleasant experience of his horrible, disgusting existence. This monster needed to be wiped off the face of the Earth, but if Trisha couldn't kill him, she'd make him _wish_ he were dead.

"It's all for you, Dar. I did it all for you." She whispered under her breath.

/

Sometime in the wee hours of the morning, Ami was awoken by the priest who flashed into her mind as if in a dream, startling her awake. Groaning with a few curses mumbled in his direction, she nevertheless complied and sleepily got to her feet, looking around. The sun was barely even up yet, and the air was still a bit chilly. She tried to gather up Solarus, who sometime in the night had moved himself next to her side, without waking him but he woke up anyway, yawning and starting to show just the slightest tips of teeth poking through his gums. Ami didn't really notice or maybe it was just too early for her brain to work properly yet. She smoothed out her unruly hair, and sighed. God, but she was a filthy mess, her hair needed brushing in the worst way, her tattered clothes were caked with dirt, and her body odor was none too pleasant either. A nice, hot, shower sounded _so wonderful _ right now, and for a moment she closed her eyes, trying to imagine herself in a nice sudsy bathtub with oils and soft music playing...and maybe even a glass of blush wine...

_**Are you ready, young Ami? We must go.**_

Ami snapped out of her thought stream rather reluctantly and bit her lower lip in a pout.

_Yeah yeah...just let me feed Solarus first. He'll be crying the whole way if he doesn't get breakfast, and believe me a hungry heradus baby is not something you want to deal with. _She quirked a brow at him as she sat and positioned little Solarus for nursing, who latched on rather quickly. _You remember that...with Goliathus? What he was like as a little baby?_

Barabas gazed at her with his ever unblinking, imposing stare. _**No, not really. I left the raising of the infant to Alonus, remember? I saw him as an infant...but not often. I spent more time working and paid little attention in those early years.**_

_You regret that, don't you? _Ami didn't know why she asked the question, it seemed insensitive the moment she thought it. But it was too late to take it back now.

Barabas however didn't seem to get upset at her. He only gave a forlorn sigh as he often did when these tough memories plagued him.

_**I regret everything.**_

It was all he said, and Ami felt even more guilty. She didn't mean to act that way around the priest, but sometimes Barabas made her feel a bit spiteful of him. He _had_ gone ballistic and killed his daughter...but in a strange way Ami could understood why he had done it. After all, how much could one human mind take?

Her thoughts were interrupted by Solarus fussing. He let go of her nipple and moped up at her, tears threatening to fall at any moment. His breath was coming quickly, which was another sign he wasn't happy.

_What's wrong with you?_

Solarus scrunched up his face, and kicked out his feet. If he was going to have some kind of temper tantrum, it was the last thing they needed right now. But something was wrong.

_Hungee._

_Yes, I realize that. But why did you stop nursing?_

_Nooo...stop! Hungee. _

Ami furrowed her brow in confusion. She tried to offer her breast again, but Solarus kicked out again and fussed up a storm.

_Noooo stop! Nooo. Hungee. Hungee mumma!_

Ami looked at Barabas helplessly, who now had his gaze focused on his grandson and a worried look on his face.

_**I fear, young Ami...that your milk has dried up. You are truly too thin, and malnourished. We must get you to the cabin as soon as possible. Once you are there...I will have to find a way to help you gain your strength again...and quickly. **_He shook his head slowly.

Ami blinked at him a few moments, her mouth hanging open. _My milk has...dried up? _It was like she couldn't believe it, despite the obvious stick-thin girl she had become. With those words she had instantly felt like a complete failure...something every mother dreaded with every fiber of her being.

Solarus was kicking more now and getting quite upset. Ami felt her heart starting to pound harder in her chest as her anxiety skyrocketed.

_How am I going to feed him if I don't have any milk? _As the tears started to stream down her face Barabas drew closer, and knelt down in front or her. Instantly the icy cold atmosphere he brought with him could be felt, but Ami hardly noticed even as her body shivered.

_**He will have to be weaned.**_

_Now? He doesn't even have teeth yet!_

_**Then you will have to chew up the meat for him. There is not much else in the way of choice, young Ami. I know this feeling, of helplessness. But you can do this. Perhaps you can start with the last few strips of the dried meat you have left...until at least you can catch something better. The easiest might be fish, in the river. They are plentiful now in the late Spring season. **_He cocked his head at her showing more compassion in his eyes than she'd ever seen before. _**What must be done, must be done. There is no time for deliberation.**_

Fiercely wiping her tears away Ami nodded and set Solarus gently down for one minute while she got the canvas bag and searched around for what remained of the jerky. She found the three meager strips, wrapped in paper, and scrunched her nose at the smell. The taste was even worse...the jerky was too old and extremely tough. But the priest was right...her choices were few in this matter...and Solarus needed _something_ to tide him over, although she seriously doubted he was going to like this one bit.

She chewed the first piece slowly, put it on her fingers, and tried to feed it to Solarus, but he shrieked and turned his head away, the crying only getting worse.

_Hungee! Hungee! _

_I know, baby. You have to try this. You'll like it. _She hoped he couldn't sense her lie.

She pushed it near to his lips again but he turned his head away instantly, keeping his mouth shut tight.

_Sollie...just try it for momma. There isn't any more milk, baby. I'm so sorry. _Ami fought hard to keep her tears from returning. Her body couldn't handle it, already she felt her breath getting short again, just from the emotions overwhelming her senses.

He stopped crying, although his lips quivered and his big golden eyes blinked up at her, glistening like glass. _Nooo...milk? No?_

_No. Momma is sick. Now you try this, and you'll like it._

And although he pouted and fussed and kicked up a storm, Ami was able to get the small amount of chewed meat into his mouth. He made the most incredulous face, and spit it out.

_Nuuu! Noo momma._

_It's all there is until I can find you something else. Please, just eat it!_

Ami was already growing tired of the battle, and Barabas seemed to sense it.

_**Young Solarus, you will listen to your mother.**_

He squealed at the intrusion of this more powerful, echoey voice, cried for a minute, then opened up his mouth rather reluctantly. Ami couldn't help but grin as she looked over at Barabas.

_He's nervous around you...but you apparently have his respect._

The priest gave only a wry smile in response.

Ami spent the next half of an hour chewing up more meat and feeding it to Solarus, who despite the faces swallowed most of it. It was amusing in a way, since he seemed to find the new taste of this food both interesting and awful at the same time. But in the end...hunger always rules out, and especially if you happen to be a heradus.

The meal thankfully appeased Solarus enough, although he grew incredibly tired after his breakfast and fell asleep within minutes. Barabas mentioned something about the new diet being difficult on him, as he was indeed still a bit young to wean, but that he would surely adjust quickly. Fresh meat would revive him in no time...if Ami could manage to catch something. She just hoped Solarus would sleep at least until they reached the cabin.

They headed what Ami guessed was probably north, and after wandering through the woods for quite a time, they finally ended up at what looked like a narrow, gravel road, that led way up the mountain. Ami stood and gazed up, squinting in the sunlight. She could see the cabin, looking like a toy house from this distance, and wanted to fall on her knees in despair.

_You really think I'm going to make it all the way up there?_

_**It is not so far as it looks. Come. Follow me.**_

Ami had not thought of her cozy little home nestled in the woods of the Catskills of New York for quite some time, but that's what crossed her mind now as she started the long climb up the mountain. What she wouldn't do to be back on that couch, eating her TV dinner, and being able to tell herself that this was all just a dream.

/

The Facility was built to be one thing only...a prison for the Creeper. After hours of driving the truck followed a long pathway to high security gate that was falsely labeled as a top secret government area. It was a lot like Area 51...anyone caught trespassing would be shot...and very few would be stupid enough to try and break in even if they did somehow manage to find the place. Trisha punched a long set of numbers into the keypad, then touched her index finger to the scanner. The computer read her fingerprint, there was a beep, then the gate made a loud click as the lock disengaged and the gate opened. They drove through, the gate closing behind them within seconds. They drove the truck around the perimeter of the building towards the back where the truck backed up into a loading bay. As the men piled out of the back to help maneuver the cage down the ramp, Trisha got out slowly from the driver seat, keeping one eye on things as she stretched and then reached down to retie her boots, then called everyone over into a quick meeting.

"Not one of you is to put your guard down for one minute. He hasn't moved, but don't let him fool you. He isn't dead, trust me. And I don't want him to be...not yet anyway. We wouldn't want him to miss the party, now would we?"

One of her men, a man by the name of Michael, gave a slight grin in her direction. He nodded. "Don't worry, fucker isn't going anywhere. Not while I'm here."

Trisha liked Michael Dawson. Normally she didn't bother to get so formal as last names with the people she hired, but Michael was different. He was a born leader and also more intent than the others on watching this monster squirm. Once, Michael had a gorgeous daughter, fourteen and full of life. The Creeper had taken all of that away.

Well, mark up another notch on his wall of tortures. This was going to be the most satisfying night of all their lives...and it was just the icing on the cake.

/

Halfway to the cabin, Ami had grown so tired and weary that she could barely hold Solarus anymore. He would slip from her grasp slightly, she'd jolt herself awake from her near sleepwalking, then the process would repeat itself all over again. The afternoon was now edging closer, and the temperature was rising quickly. The only respite was that the heavily wooded roadway provided some shade, otherwise Ami would be baking in the sun. Her thirst was so extreme. They had found a puddle of water here and there, but Barabas warned her on drinking any of it. He reminded her that standing water was not safe. They would either have to find the river or keep pressing on until they reached the cabin...whatever came first.

Solarus was still sleeping, but he would pout and make whimpering noises even though his eyes were closed.

Barabas had been talking to her the entire time, trying to keep her mind off things. It wouldn't have worked except that the bits he told her were fascinating and held her interest, even now.

_**The hunger changes when a heradus child weans. When they nurse they are the same as any human infant, feeding no more or less. But when they wean, the hunger grows tenfold. They will crave the meat like a drug. It is, as Alonus told me, because they have such powerful, supernatural bodies. Their growth is fast, as you have seen, far more accelerated than a human child. **_He turned slightly, looking behind him to check on Ami. She was still walking, but shuffling along like a zombie. Barabas turned and continued upwards.

_**But that accelerated growth means accelerated need for repair, and so the flesh and blood of other animals restores them and keeps them going. They must feed frequently...Alonus could eat three entire cows in a day. If she got injured, she would eat even more, and the wounds would heal as if magic...faster than a blink. Truly, they are amazing creatures...and it is a great shame that the world hates them so. It is a mortal sin...dear young Ami...to let fear and hatred to rule one's life. I wish I had known that back as a living man in ancient Rome. I would have let go of the bitterness towards the wife who left me and broke my heart, and perhaps I would have handled the situation with my daughter better. But I believe that hatred only fed my already shattered soul, and caused me to act in such a horrific manner. I can never, ever forget the look of utter betrayal and shock on my Aelia's face. **_

_Barabas...I have a feeling...that Aelia is on the other side...just waiting for you to join her after all this time. I don't believe that grudges are held there. You don't belong here, priest. You've...been wandering too long...and suffering with these memories far longer. Goliathus did this to torment you. I think HE needs to ask YOU for forgiveness...when this is all over..._

Ami's tiredness came through in her weak mind speech, but Barabas turned again, pausing to gaze at her. For the second time that day...he smiled at her. They said nothing more as the arduous climb continued.

Finally, after nearly four long hours, they were at the top. How she did it, Ami couldn't figure out, but somehow willpower alone had gotten her up this mountain. The cabin was in front of them like seeing a mirage in the desert...too hard to believe. Ami reached out and her spread hand solidly connected with the wood of the door, and the reality sank in.

The door was locked, but Barabas fixed that probem. He phased right through and undid the latch from the inside. Ami walked in, noted the mounted heads of deer and large fish from the river on the walls, and realized this was a hunting lodge. Then she walked towards a rather comfy looking couch, even as Barabas mentioned something about a bed upstairs. She put Solarus down on one end, who shuffled a bit but stayed asleep. Then she fell onto the couch and passed out into unconsciousness.

/

End of Chapter 11


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

/

_The first thing he noticed when he slowly came awake was the very familiar sensation of pain. His body had been burnt and ruined, although he couldn't remember exactly what happened. One moment he was ready to kill the farmer who dared to try and come after him once again, the next...some kind of strange black weapons were hurled in his direction, coming so fast he had had no time to evade them. These weapons...they were modern, human things of vast technology...they jolted him with electricity as if he had been struck in a thunderstorm when flying. It had happened once before, and he could remember that too._

_The memories...they never left his mind. He could roar out, curse his very existence, try and fill his mind with other things...it never worked. Even the thrill of killing the humans and wanting their screams to try and drown out his painful memories had been for years failing. In fact, when had it ever truly drowned out anything?_

_He was still here. This miserable, wretched existence was still here, and tormenting him as always._

_Now he could smell that bitch Patricia Jenner. His eyes still functioned, he was in a cage...a giant one made of steel or perhaps even titanium. There were other humans around, staring at him through narrowed eyes with folded arms, watching and waiting like sentinels of doom._

_This was familiar. _

_His tormentors from so long ago came back to his mind. He remembered their vile words of hate and disgust, their crude but agonizing tortures of knives, chains, and foreign substances. _

_Then the most painful memory of all._

_His mother...on that wall...chained and gasping through foamed blood in her mouth, the leader of the tormentors plucking her eye out while she screamed._

_They ripped open her abdomen, twisted her organs to make her scream even more. How did they know they could do these things?_

_Did someone tell them what they were?_

_Was it father?_

_She had spoken to him, told him to be strong. Begged him not to become like his grandfather who had gone utterly insane once he had tasted human flesh...even if by accident._

_Human flesh. It was a sweet, tender drug. So addictive and all-consuming._

_Even now, as he lie in pain and boiling with hate towards his new tormentors...he knew it was wrong._

_He had known it for over two thousand years. It was the very cause of the destruction of his race._

_/_

_**Ami? Ami! You must awaken. **_

Ami fought hard to get to the top of her consciousness. Her eyes fluttered open, and now her ears were registering the painful shrieks of Solarus who acted as if he were being tortured. That thought caused her to get up off the couch she had been sleeping on for hours in a near comatose state and shakily get to her feet. Despite all of that rest she felt absolutely horrible, even worse than before.

Ami knew she was very sick, and weak. She was malnourished and probably severly dehydrated as well. Sleeping like this had been a bad idea...it could have taken hold of her and never let her go...into a coma and likely even death. But there had been no resisting in her utter exhaustion.

_Barabas I'm not well. Can't you help me? Do something? _

_**My abilities are limited, young Ami. You must get up and get food for Solarus. He is not in good condition himself. The hunger now is tenfold. You have slept for nearly twelve hours, and he has been awake for the past three, crying louder as time has gone on. Please help him, before it is too late.**_

_Wait, he can't die can he? He's a heradus._

_**He can die, he is only an infant. Being a heradus matters not in this young stage of life. He does not have the full powers of an adult. Quickly Ami.**_

She took a few steps and wanted to cry at the pain in her feet. They were sore and blistered, and she was still filthy, covered in dust from the long trek up the road. Her hair was matted, her eyes were puffy and red with irritation, and her body ached all over as if she had the flu.

_How can I do this, Barabas? _She fell back onto the couch. _I can't go climbing around this mountain, I'll probably collapse and die._

The ghostly priest came nearer, providing welcome chill in the hot and stuffy cabin. He looked at Ami gravely, and the expression was a little more than intimidating.

_I__** will help you Ami...but when I do so, I shall not be able to appear again for a very long time. You will be on your own. This is what you will do. Go and find food for Solarus...the river nearby is plump with fish, there are plenty to go around. Take some of the hunting weapons here in the cabin. There are some of those devices you call guns here, in the cellar, and also canned goods. You will have a good amount of supplies here. But when you have done this, you must come back and try and awaken Alonus. It must be done as quickly as you can...Goliathus as I have said before is already captured and soon his suffering will be great.**_

Ami looked up and stared into his blue eyes, always shining like glass. _Without you how am I going to try and call her?_

_**The bulla. I will leave it here.**_

She blinked. _You can do that? What does it do?_

_**Just use it, young Ami. It has my energy. It will be enough. Sometimes, even Alonus wore this, simply because she liked it. She even said at times it made her feel closer to me.**_

The priest stepped forward, and Ami took his outstretched hand. This time they didn't go anywhere...but she felt her mind and senses being drowned out by an incredibly bright light. It went on for several minutes, and then finally the world came back into view again.

Barabas was gone. Solarus was still crying.

Incredibly, Ami felt fine. The bulla was mysteriously around her neck. Her eyes widened as she saw she had no cuts or bruises, and her energy had returned. Whatever Barabas had done it was beyond her comprehension. All she knew was that she had to act, and _act now_.

Quickly she picked up Solarus, who didn't stop crying but opened his eyes to look at her in such desperation that Ami found herself suddenly sobbing and squeezing him close to her chest.

_I'm such a horrible mother, Sollie! Forgive me..._

_Mumma! Hungee, hungee!_

He screamed the words in her mind, over and over again. Ami ran around the cabin, looking for the hunting supplies Barabas had spoken of. She found a fishing net, pole and lures, and then went into the basement where she indeed found a rifle and bullets. Then coming back upstairs she tore one of her well-worn sweaters and fashioned into a sort of makeshift sling to carry Solarus in. When she was sure it was good and secure and he wasn't going to fall out, she headed outside and went straight for the river.

/

Patricia Jenner slowly paced around the perimeter of her giant, electrified cage gazing daggers at the monster within. He was awake now, she could see that, but there was no way he could get out, she had done everything in her power to be absolutely certain this cage was inescapable. The Creeper hadn't moved much yet, his eyes were simply riveted on her. She gave him a cocky, malicious grin as if rubbing in her victory over him...or perhaps mocking his very same expression that he loved to use on his victims.

He chuffed at her with bared teeth, and did not break his gaze.

Even now, that damn lingering fear would not fully break. Just looking at him was enough to churn and twist her gut with a great sense of unease. Still, he wasn't going to get any satisfaction out of it.

"I think for certain that I'm going to slowly pluck your eyes out, just like you did to my brother. How do you think that will feel?" She asked in a low, stern voice. He finally broke his gaze and turned towards Michael and the other captors.

There was silence for a very long time. He finally turned back towards Trisha.

"Do what you will." His eerie, raspy voice, deep and otherworldly, sent absolute shivers down her spine. Instantly, she turned and walked away, not wanting to look at him any longer.

"You gentleman can start any time you like," she said, turning towards her trusted group. "I need a cold shower and a shot of something strong."

Michael watched her walk away, eyebrow raised. For certain he was sure Trisha would want to see this, but he realized the emotions burned into her very soul were still too much to bear.

That bastard. He hoped what they were going to do to him would be pain like he had never known before.

/

When Ami got to the river she saw that Barabas has been correct. These huge, plump fish looked like salmon and there were plenty of them. Ami looked at her fishing pole and decided she didn't even need them. A net should do fine. Hovering the large net over the water she crouched down and moved slowly, trying not to scare them off. Like a heron she tried to remain motionless, ready to strike at any moment. She went for it, swooped the net down...and missed. They shot off like bullets through the water.

She tried again, and again. Still nothing.

"Dammit! Don't worry Solarus, you're going to have fish if it's the last thing I do." Ami tried not to let the frustration get the better of her. Solarus was watching her actions with rapt attention although he still sniffled and hiccuped now and then.

_Hungee. Fishie? Eat fishie?_

Ami crouched again, this time waiting longer before swiping. She almost caught one, but it wriggled and writhed so fiercely that it jumped out and darted away even as she tried snatching at it with her hand. After another half and hour of failure, she had had it. There wasn't time to use the slow, old-fashioned method of a fishing rod.

"Enough with this..." She got up, grabbed the rifle, checked it over and made sure it was loaded. Then she took aim at the fish nearest the surface and started blasting them out of the water, one by one.

/

Jackie had remained in the back with his dad, watching from a distance with both hands in his jacket pockets. He had watched Trisha walk away, had seen everything, had even heard that freakish creature speak.

'_Do what you will_'. What had he meant by that? He had nothing but utter hatred on his face towards them, of that Jackie was certain. He felt it through every bone in his body.

Why did this whole thing bother him?

It shouldn't...he should be feeling contempt and rage, and wanting that satisfaction of watching this hellish nightmare suffer for killing his little brother. But every time he saw the men poking at him with their electrified prods and laughing in twisted glee when he backed up into the bars and got shocked even worse and the monster howled out, he didn't feel like laughing. There wasn't any sense of satisfaction in this, and it disturbed him.

Something wasn't right about it, but he couldn't understand why he felt this way. He wiped forming tears from his eyes, frustrated with himself. Even when he had watched his father stab that creature all those years ago...he hadn't felt satisfied.

_What in the hell is wrong with me?_

"Jackie, look at that! Son of a bitch ain't enjoyin' it, is he? I hope that's not all they're going to do. That bastard needs to suffer a whole hell of a lot more if I have any say in it."

His father's words registered but Jackie couldn't get any words of response past his lips. In fact what Jackie had always felt about his father since Billy's death was worry.

Worry that the old man would be so all-consumed by his want for revenge that it would take over his life and destroy his sanity.

And it had.

/

The little fishing expedition had finally been a success. There was a good pile of at least eight of the giants, most of them already torn with a huge hole in their bodies thanks to the rifle. Ami however didn't bother to scale or gut the fish for Solarus, she merely used a hunting knife to tear them apart further and feed him pieces much like a mother eagle feeding her chicks. Solarus seemed a bit undecided about this first taste of fish, but it lasted only moments. He grew very eager, insisting on more and more, until he was actually taking the pieces from her and shoving them into his own mouth faster than she could cut them.

After five of them, he finally seemed sated and promptly fell back asleep. Ami took the remaining fish back to the cabin, where she would cook one up for herself and save the rest for later.

When they returned to the cabin, Ami looked around for a way to turn on the electrify and found the electrical board in the basement. A smile crept over her face when she flipped the switch and got the lights working...and the blessed fans going. She opened up windows to help circulate the stuffy air and finally it was much more comfortable in the lodge.

Now there was some serious work to do. Ami checked over little Sollie one last time, who was still sleeping soundly, his belly round and full.

_Thank God. He'll be all right now..._

Ami gathered a bunch of pillows from the couches to form a soft, cushioned spot for her sit on the floor. She fingered the bulla around her neck and then closed her eyes, and using the sound of the whirring ceiling fans to maintain her concentration.

Alonus. All she had to do was picture Alonus, right? She went back to her memories from the stories Barabas had told her. She pictured the giant and beautiful cathedral with its stain-glass windows and endless ceilings. She thought of Alonus, jet-black with blonde hair and fierce emerald eyes, and tried to imagine going into the cellar of the cathedral, where her son had buried her.

_I have to find you Alonus. I have to wake you up._

Suddenly Ami felt an incredibly unpleasant feeling, much like nausea, and realized it was very similar to the one the priest had caused her when he had taken her in spirit to his home. It thankfully passed quickly, but now Ami realized the scenes before her were far more clear and realistic...not just images in her mind. It felt like her eyes were glued shut and yet she was still seeing the spread of the church before her. Slowly she found the trap door leading to the basement and slowly crept downwards. The smell of dank and must was uncanny, the air was chilly and she clutched her arms, rubbing them in a strange attempt to warm herself.

_Am I actually here, or not? This is so bizarre._

Ami saw that the vast basement was vast and mostly bare. She saw a door to her right. The very "study" Barabas had spoken of.

Where he had found his son and daughter together.

She stood for a few moments, staring at the door, and then quickly turned away, putting that thought out of her mind.

Another smaller door came into view, half-open and decayed with incredible age. The winding, narrow staircase she knew led down into the hidden chambers. Unbidden thoughts came into her mind of the tortures the two heradus endured. Nameless men with knives, swords, and any other sharp objects they could find.

Screams...blood-curdling, unearthly screams...

Ami shook her head fiercely, choking back a sob and trying to clear her mind. Alonus' torture made her sad enough, even though they'd never met, but Goliathus...these thoughts of his suffering only made her feel worse.

_Oh...god...help me. I do love him. I love him and I don't understand why...or how...that I could._

_Where is he?_

The distant, echoey words were so faint that Ami almost didn't notice them...but she had definitely heard someone. A female- sounding voice.

Quickly Ami searched around, covering the entire basement, but she saw nothing.

_Where are __**you**__?_

_...hello?_

There it was again, that strange disembodied voice. Alonus' energy was all around this place. She had to be somewhere, but where did Goliathus bury her?

_He'd want to hide her so no humans would find her. So that would mean..._

Ami ran to the nearest wall, feeling around the crevices and cracks of the bricks. She must be behind the stones. It had to be. Where else could Goliathus ensure she would not be discovered?

Her hands worked as fast as possible, checking everywhere. It would take some time, but she'd cover the entire basement if she had to. Even the floor.

/

After what seemed like an eternity Ami sat haphazardly on the cold stone floor, having found nothing. She had checked every brick and not one seemed to be loose. If Goliathus _had_ hidden her down here, he had done an incredibly good job.

_What do I do now, Barabas? _Ami clutched the bulla, and tried to think of where else she might be.

_Alonus! Tell me where you are!_

She cried the words out loudly in her mind.

_Altar..._

Altar? Is that what she heard?

_Oh how could I be so stupid? Of course the altar! Barabas was wrong she's not down here, she's right where her favorite spot was!_

Ami scrambled to her feet quickly and raced up the stairs. When she got to the top and came out through the trap door the cathedral was eerily lit by many, many torches. The outside was pitch black...nothing could be seen past the windows.

_Who lit these?_

Ami walked quickly over to the altar, trying not to look at any of the corpses hanging above her. It seemed as plain and ordinary as ever, but Ami suspected that Alonus wasn't in the walls somewhere around here.

She'd be _underneath_ it.

Using all of her strength Ami tried to push it over, but it didn't so much as budge an inch.

She tried again and again, but still it would not move.

_I need some kind of lever...something to help me lift it..._

Ami began to race around the cathedral looking for something, when her eyes fell upon the giant scaffolding. She found many pieces of wood beneath it, and searched for one that seemed long and strong enough to do the job.

After a long while she found one that looked perfect and quickly headed back to the altar, trying with all her might to lift it just slightly so she could get one edge underneath the stubborn stone. Finally, it gave way, just enough for Ami to jam the edge under and then with all her willpower, she pressed down hard.

/

"Do it again". Michael reached in with the prod, and jolted the creature back into another corner. He growled and snarled, trying to get away but there was no use. Despite all of the room in the Atrium, there were men posted everywhere, so that no matter where he went, they could reach him with the prods.

"Ha ha. He's much like a frightened rabbit isn't he? Bolting into every corner but only getting ferreted out again." Trisha had her own prod, which she used as often as she got the chance, but suddenly she threw it down onto a nearby table.

"All right but enough with the child's games. Let's get the real party going."

Michael nodded and signaled to another one of the men who quickly came down from his post and went to a console. He punched a code in and a green light lit on the screen.

"Electricity is set to top voltage. He touches one of those bars now and it will burn him to a crisp."

"Good," Trisha said smugly. After her shower and a few shots of alcohol she'd felt a lot better, and got her bearings back. That little emotional episode from before wouldn't happen again. She wanted to be sure to see every minute of this monster's suffering.

_This will never bring you back, but it's at least revenge. I hope you're proud of me Darry. _

She grinned in satisfaction, but it didn't last. She had the sudden and unbearable sense, in that next moment, that he wasn't.

/

The wood lever was starting to crack and splinter from the force, but Ami refused to give up. She cried up and pushed down as hard as she could muster, and finally the blasted altar tumbled over.

For a moment she stood in shock, in disbelief that she had done it. There were stones underneath the altar, the same as on the rest of the cathedral floor, but these looked broken and crumbled. Ami knelt down and began plucking stones away, one by one, until she reached dirt and started taking clumps away with her bare hands.

It might take forever, but she didn't care. She knew the female heradus was here, and she felt more determined than ever to reach her. This mission was so important, and Ami knew it. Even though nothing made sense around her, of how she was here, whether or not this was real or some odd mental plane still held together by the priest, what did it matter?

Alonus was the only one who could help Goliathus. He was for certain enduring more pain and agony in this moment then Ami wanted to think about.

She kept digging, pulling away more and more clumps of dirt.

Her nails then scraped against something that felt like wood. Quickly brushing away more dirt Ami realized it was actually a crudely made coffin.

_I can't believe it...I found her..._

With even more frantic, growing persistence Ami pried at the wood, trying to break the planks, which seemed to easily give as they were damp and rotted. She dug at more dirt and broke off more splinters of wood for what seemed like endless hours.

Somehow, though all of this, her energy remained. The bulla...it was like some kind of incredible, supernatural force in itself.

_Two thousand years worth of the priest's energy. It is possible?_

Suddenly Ami's fingers touched something leathery and she impulsively jumped back. After a few minutes of staring she slowly crept forward and saw some kind of black, withered thing poking through the dirt. After more careful inspection she realized what it was.

/

"Dad, I think we should leave. Trisha's got it covered. I just want to go home."

"What?" Jack Taggart Sr. turned to his son, drumming his fingers on his leg as they sat, watching. "It's just starting. What do you mean go home, boy?"

"I...I dunno. I just don't want anything to do with this anymore." He shrugged, not looking him in the eye.

"Look Jackie I know you're tired. We've been through hell and back, and more than once. But this is what we've been _waiting_ for, isn't it? This is the reward. We're not going home until we see this through." He gave a slight nod, certain of his words, giving a kind of finality that only made Jackie sigh and stare down at the floor.

His father looked at him, concerned. Jackie had always been the quiet type but he hadn't been himself lately. He seemed sullen and far away.

"I know, you're still missing Billy. I do, too. He was such a great kid. Pain in the ass sometimes, but you two were closer than you let on." He grinned and elbowed him. "I know that through all the name calling you two were like peas in a pod. Heck, when your mother, God rest her soul, got pregnant again at first I wasn't so sure we could manage another kid. But Ella, she was a tough woman and I loved that about her. She was amazing Jackie and I'd wish you gotten a chance to know her longer. But before she died she gave me Billy, and I was the happiest father alive in those days."

Jackie slowly averted his brown eyes back to his father, now glassy. But the frown remained plastered on his face. "Yeah dad...I know all that. You told me before."

"I need to make sure you're seeing the big picture here, Jackie." His father's voice began to falter, something so very rare for this tough-as-nails farmer. "That..._thing_...over there...took my baby boy. Killed 'em. After that I know something inside of me died, right then and there. I knew I'd never be the same. I also knew I had to go after it to protect _you_ Jackie, not just get revenge for Billy. I wanted to be sure that monster was never going to take away some father's son again. You understand that, don't you?"

Jackie nodded, but his heart only sank further. "I understand, trust me...I do." He wanted to say more, but the words died in his throat. He knew full well his father would never understand one thing...the way Jackie was really feeling.

How he just wanted this all to stop...how no matter what he tried to do to think otherwise, the thought lingered that the Creeper was more than meets the eye.

/

The cathedral was eerily silent, the only sound being the crackling of the torches as they seemed to endlessly burn on. Ami sat near the open coffin, a big mound of dirt to her one side and pieces of old wood scattered on her other. She had spent many long minutes just gazing with wide eyes at the sight before her.

Alonus lie in her coffin, neatly arranged with arms crossed over her chest. Her body was perfectly preserved, like a mummy, and so well that some of her gold hair still remained and her lips were shriveled back from a full set of sharp teeth. Ami felt profound sadness, looking at her in such a state, but also an incredible sense of awe that she had found her and was seeing her with her own eyes for the first time.

But this. This was just a corpse. How could she possibly still be alive?

_You spoke to me. You told me you were here. How?_

There was no answer. Ami decided the first thing she needed to do was remove her from the coffin. She fought back feelings of revulsion and used both arms to carefully reach underneath and attempt to lift it.

He remains were as light as a feather, and in fact some of the bones crumbled to dust as they were shifted.

_You've got to be kidding me, right? Barabas? There's no way in hell she can come back...two thousand year old mummies don't come back to life._

Now with Alonus spread out on the floor, Ami could see more of her features, from a delicate jawline to narrow shoulders and a long, serpentine figure.

_Wow. She was so small and elegant for a heradus...I mean compared to Goliathus anyway...he must be at least twice her size._

Ami brushed away some of the wisps of remaining hair from her black face and sighed deeply.

_How? How am I going to do this?_

There was a strange smell in the air. Was it the odor of the shriveled, leathery skin? There was a breeze now and it was icy cold.

_Barabas is that you?_

No response. Ami looked around and felt uneasy. The place was a little more than creepy with its numerous torches and bodies hanging all around her.

_Who are you, child?_

Ami stood up quickly and did a full turn, but there was no one. The voice sounded closer now. Her eyes riveted onto the mummy.

_A...Alonus?_

_I am. Who are you?_

Okay this was weird. The mummy hadn't moved, in fact the whole place was still and eerie. But that voice, there was no mistaking it. She had heard it in the basement, and now here.

Alonus was here, in some form or another. Was she a spirit herself?

_I-I'm Ami. And I'm here to try and bring you back. I found you Alonus...I found you, but-_

_Ami?_

_Yes, that's my name._

_Who sent you?_

_Barabas did. He's amazing,he's been dead for over two thousand years but somehow he's come back and he gave me his bulla so that I could-_

_Barabas? How is that so?_

_I'm not sure, other than he told me Goliathus ate his heart, and somehow that might have-_

There was a shrill, anguished cry in her mind and Ami fell down to her knees, clutching her head. It went on for several long minutes.

Then the mummy moved.

/

Back at the hunting lodge, Ami's body lie on the floor on her side, saliva drooling from her mouth as she seemed to be in a deep, comatose state. Solarus had woken up, crawling around the lodge, and using his little nose to sniff around. He came by his mother and pushed on her arm with his little clawed hands.

_Mumma? No sleep. Mumma make fishie._

She didn't move, and in fact it seemed as if she were hardly breathing at all.

_Mumma? _Solarus nudged her and pushed her some more, but still she didn't respond.

_Hungee. Want fishie. _Finally seeming to give up on waking her, Solarus crawled around towards the kitchen, steady and determined. He looked about, still snuffling at the air and eying the refrigerator. It was pretty high up, but the remembered the strange things on his back could get him up higher where he wanted to be.

Flapping his little wings he clumsily but successfully managed to get to the top of the counter. He used both little hands to push open the refrigerator door but fell from the counter in the process and was now dangling from the door handle as it swung all the way open.

_No move! Stay._

The remaining fish lie on a shelf, wrapped in tin foil. Solarus' smell was quite keen even at this age, and he could tell it was in there.

He reached out with one hand and with amazing strength held on with the other. Finally he used a flap of his wings and managed to get to the shelf, where he clawed at the tin foil, ripping it open. He tugged at the fish with both hands and feet, managing to use his tiny claws to tear off pieces and chewed happily.

_Fishie!_

Meanwhile the refrigerator door continued its swing back in the other direction, and promptly closed shut.

/

End Chapter 12

_Wow Solarus can't stay out of trouble, can he? In the next chapter we will have much more of Alonus. Stay "tuned". I hope you enjoyed!_


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

/

Ami had been in a comatose state for many, many hours. There were scratching sounds and muffled cries coming from the refrigerator, where little Solarus had gotten himself trapped. The ceiling fans in the cabin swirled lazily, continuing their mindless duty in the otherwise eerily quiet cabin.

Solarus continued to cry for help, but no one heard him. Instead Ami was hearing a whole different cry, one of anguish and despair.

Back in the cathedral, whose ruins were located somewhere in Rome, the withered, black mummy of a heradus that she had discovered was moving, like something out of a nightmarish horror movie. As it weakly started to try and crawl out of the shallow grave it had been buried in, clumps of dirt continued to fall out of the mouth and hollow eye sockets. These...remains...of Alonus, seemed to move blindly and without direction. When she got only a few feet from the grave the frail looking mummy finally collapsed. Ami just sat there, staring in horrified fascination. Had it actually even moved at all? Was she just going crazy?

The renewed silence in the cathedral was only broken by the crackling of the torches that never seemed to burn out. Ami was huddled to her knees and rocking back and forth slightly, continuing to stare at the mummy. The quiet was unnerving. Ami looked up at the bodies on the walls, until her eyes found Barabas, way at the top.

_How? Are you insane, Barabas? Perhaps you are, and I'm here, trusting you, like a complete fool._

The body of Barabas snapped its eyes open. Ami stifled a scream and scooted back a few feet.

_**You are no fool, but I surely am. **_His voice was whisper quiet, so unlike the usual boom that filled her mind. _**Alonus can see or hear nothing now. She has returned her spirit to her ruined body, but...you will have to help her Ami, or her spirit may wander away and this time never return.**_

Ami was about to ask another question, but the eyes shut and she could literally feel his energy departing.

_Damn you!_

Ami stared long and hard at the mummy, and finally managed to get enough bravery to get up and slowly walk towards it.

/

Goliathus had woken up from a rather strange, unsettling dream. He had been wonderfully feasting on a pile of human flesh when a black, scrawny figure with hollow eyes had erupted from the blood and sinew, screaming like a banshee and pointing a finger at him.

_You traitor! You wicked traitor! You would eat the heart of your own father who loved you!_

He knew that voice. When was the last time he had dreamed about his mother? It had to have been centuries. Why now was this nightmare plaguing him?

The figure had turned, seeming to take in all the details of its surroundings despite having no eyes. _Filth, my son. The flesh of humans is a corrosive poison. You have become FILTH. A monster!_

Then just before he woke up, he saw his father, high up on the walls of the cathedral where he had put him.

_What do you want, father? Leave me be._

_**Your mother despises you. You must earn her love again. The time will come much sooner than you think. And think you must, Goliathus. You must think hard about what matters to you.**_

Then his eyes opened, and here he was, still in this wretched prison. There were still a few guards around, always watching. He knew now that if he touched those bars, he would be electrocuted again.

Groaning, he got up slowly, his body aching all over. He hadn't eaten anything since he'd been here, and the hunger was fierce. It was no surprise to him that Trisha would be starving him. But he knew this was the very least of his concerns. She had much more in store for him, and there was little he could do about it. A snarl rose from his throat.

How he would love to get his claws on her, and tear her smirking face off with his teeth.

/

The mummy had moved again, causing Ami to freeze in her tracks, only steps away. But this was not the time for fear. Clenching her fingers and taking a deep breath, she knelt down and touched the leathery shoulder. The figure jumped and turned towards her, causing more of the ancient bones to crumble to dust. Ami gasped, horrified. Alonus was just falling apart before her eyes, and if she didn't do something soon, she knew this chance would be gone forever.

_Alonus tell me what to do!_

_Food..._came the weak response.

Food? Where? Ami sat back and ran a hand through her long hair. There was nothing here, no animals.

_There is no food here. I don't know if I can go outside, the windows here are weird...outside there is only blackness, and no landscape, nothing._

_Water? _The voice was whisper thin, like leaves falling in the autumn and hitting the ground with hardly a sound.

Water. Ami looked about and saw that there was water in a large calix near where the altar had been. She got up quickly and searched around for some kind of drinking vessel, a chalice maybe? Or just a simple wooden cup, anything. For a long time she looked, then finally went to the basement, where she managed to find a rather crude drinking cup made from cracked clay. It would have to do. She ran back up the stairs and dipped the cup in the calix, filling it quickly. Alonus was propped up on her skeletal hands, head towards the floor and every now and then her entire form trembled. Each movement caused a little more dust to fall.

Ami approached her carefully and brought the water to her mouth but she did nothing.

She sat there blinking for a moment, then poured the water on her head. The mummy jerked and seemed to scrabble at the drops of water that hit the ground.

_She didn't know it was there. God how awful it must be..._

Ami decided to attempt picking her up again. Alonus writhed a bit at first but settled down quickly as Ami mentally chided her. It was not pleasant at all to feel that movement and have the leathery skin brush against her own. Carefully Ami walked her over, very slowly, and decided to gently lower the entire mummy into the water, as if a bathtub.

Ami stepped back, but at first nothing happened. Then she heard another piercing sream in her mind. Alonus' form began to writhe fiercely, splashing water all over the place, and much to her horror a black substance starting oozing from all over.

_Oh god! Alonus, I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Did I do something wro-_

She couldn't finish her own thought, for at that moment she witnessed the water level starting to fall away as if being absorbed by a huge sponge. Alonus' skin went from leathery to supple, although it was still just stretched over bones. Thin layers of new skin were forming over her chest cavity and in some fashion Ami could not even begin to understand, they started to move as if real breathing, although it could hardly be called lungs. It was in that moment that Ami has the sudden thought to put the bulla around Alonus' neck.

She took it off, and quickly put it over the female heradus' head. The moment the bulla touched her, Ami felt the world spin violently.

/

It seemed the awful spinning would not cease. Ami groaned, fighting and clawing her way to consciousness, and finally when the spinning calmed down, she found her eyes fixed onto a ceiling fan. She watched the blades spin for a while, then groaned again as it was making her dizzy and she turned her head away, burying her face into a pillow.

_Oh. Oh god I never, ever, want to do that again._

Suddenly she realized where she was and sat up quickly, causing her to feel woozy and almost fall over again.

_Where-what? The cabin? No, no wait! I can't be back here, I didn't finish!_

Ami got to her feet a bit unsteadily, feeling that blind panic racing to her very core all over again. "Alonus! ALONUS? Where are you?"

_Mumma! Mumma help! Cold!_

Ami spun around and faced the refrigerator. "_Solarus?"_

_Cold box! Cold! No more fishie._

Ami ran in a worried daze to the refrigerator and yanked the door open. Solarus lie in a tightly curled ball, shivering, and blinked up at her with puppy dog eyes.

_Not fair. Fishie trap Sollie. Not fair._

Ami breathed a sigh of relief and picked him up. He was like a block of ice and painfully burrowed himself against her chest for warmth. She went to the bedroom upstairs and found a fleece blanket, and she wrapped him snugly in it. Solarus wasn't tired though, and despite everything he smiled at her with more of his little teeth showing. _Mumma ok? No more sleep?_

"Yeah, yeah I'm ok, baby. It's your grandmother I'm worried about."

_Grandmumma! Alonie._

"How...how do you know?" Ami looked down into his big, moist eyes as she absently sat down on the couch.

_Granddaddie. He say. Grandmumma will come. Make big fly._

Ami thought on his words, trying to make sense of it. Could Alonus be strong enough to travel, on just water? Then she realized that even if Alonus was in Rome, the moment she could get outside of the cathedral ruins she could search for food. There had to be animals somewhere nearby...she could only hope.

_Alonus, please. You have to get here quickly.I don't know if there is even any time left._

_/_

Somewhere in Rome, only a few miles from the Roman Forum itself, a figure emerged from a pile of rubble and pulled itself free with a banshee-like cry. Fortunately it was night time, and hardly a soul was around. Anyone who would have seen it would have passed out instantly from fear.

Alonus could still not hear or smell, but she could see, despite having no eyes yet. It was the bulla, and the vision was like looking through a narrow tube. It was hard to see much of anything but what was directly in front of her. Where was she? What year was it? Why had that strange girl who somehow knew her brought her back to this wasted body?

_**You must not question it for now, my love. There are cows not too far from here. Eat them and restore yourself quickly. Travel lightly, hide in the shadows. You must not be seen.**_

Alonus knew who the voice was. Her still partially mummified body trembled and she attempted to cry out, but no sound would come.

_Barabas. Why is your spirit wandering? Is it true of what our son did to you?_

_**Not now, my dear. Not now. You must-**_

_I must __**what**__? Help that monstrous traitor? How long has it been? Hundreds of years, thousands? I know a great deal of time has gone by. And I knew when he started this forbidden practice. Did I foresee it? Why did I choose to name him after his wretched grandfather?_

_**Alonus you must help him-**_

_Help him. I would help the humans destroy him! _She shrieked silently, clawing blindly at the rocks and rubble around her.

_**I know. I know. I felt that way at first. But I know his heart is still good.**_

_How? How do you know this?_

_**Because he loves a human. **_

Alonus froze in her tracks.

_Not possible. _

_**He has a son, my love. A son. Our grandson.**_

_There...there is...another?_

_**Yes, Solarus. But there is a woman, Patricia Jenner, who will kill him if she has the chance. She does not know. She does not understand. Only the pain of her brother's death now fuels her soul. I have spoken with Darius. He is not happy. He is the one who renewed my energy to this Earthly plane, so that I could fulfill this mission. You must stop her. She will turn your son to true evil with no hope of return should she succeed. Kill him she cannot. Goliathus is too old, too strong...you know this. But he is also vulnerable, and his mind has always been weak. He is too affected, too easily emotionally manipulated, although he would never admit it.**_

_**The woman Ami broke through to him because she was brave and kind. She did not hate or fear. Our son felt this and knew she was different. And I know this is the only reason why he did not kill her when he had the chance. He wanted to, but some unbelievable trace of good somehow won the battle.**_

_**He could also smell her compatibility, he calls her a breeder. When she had the child without killing it or going insane, and loved the child...Goliathus then fell in love with her, in his own way. He would deny this of course at every turn, even to himself. But it is there Alonus, I know it is.**_

_**Please. Please you must hurry. **_

_**/**_

Patricia Jenner had woken from her sleep with a start and with sweat covering her body. Her dream had been so pleasant at first. She had destroyed the Creeper at last. While she watched with satisfied glee the farmer Taggart and his son had chopped him up into pieces and burned his remains in a giant bonfire behind the Facility. While it crackled and popped she stood there, arms folded, and laughing. Then she spread out her arms to the sky.

_I did it Darry, see? I did it!_

_Trish! No! You didn't do anything._

She then screamed as the figure of her brother suddenly stepped out of the flames, eyes missing and the eerie sight of orange and yellow flickering from behind. He still had the dirty and yellow BANNON shirt on. His tattoo peeked through from a torn section around his belly button. He pointed at her with cracked and bloody fingernails.

_Trish no, you did nothing. You can't kill him!_

_Darry, no! NO NO NO!_

She sank to her knees, covering her face with her hands and trying to shut out the vision. She couldn't bear to look at it.

_Listen to me, sis! You have to let it go. You have no idea what you're doing. You will only make it worse!_

_No, Darry! NO! I WILL KILL that bastard! I WILL! _She jumped back to her feet, angry now, her eyes fierce and wide. _You want revenge, don't you? You're the one he killed, who he maimed! Look at you, Dar! Just LOOK at you! _Trisha started to sob, taking a few steps closer to him, wishing she could just put her arms around him one more time and tell him how much she loved him. How much she loved her annoying, impossible brother.

_Sis... _Darry didn't step closer, but he put his arm down, and stood there. Suddenly his eyes seemed to be flickering into view.

_I will tell you this. You will meet Alonus. And your world will change forever. Goodbye, sis, goodbye. I love you, too._

Now she sat up in her bed, tears streaming down her face. She pulled off the covers and hopped out of bed quickly, still wearing her clothes. The dream was just that...a dream.

Of course it couldn't be real.

And yet...who was this Alonus?

Well, it didn't matter for now. There was work to be done. Trisha headed out of the room and back into the main part of the Facility, where her captive awaited.

_Let's see now. I think a little crude surgery is in order._

_/_

Jezelle had been sipping her tea and munching on Digestive biscuits, the only thing that didn't seem to upset her stomach lately. The soap opera on TV was boring and hardly entertaining, but what did it matter? She was old, and her time would soon be up, that she knew. With a sigh she put down her teacup carefully onto the table, and then her eye caught something to her left. A glowing, white form.

_Oh! _

_**Woman of the Seeing Eyes. I have a message.**_

_Barabas you know you could scare an old woman right into a heart attack!. I know I've seen you in dreams, but now you just up and appear like that._

Jezelle's heart hammered in her chest, her gaze now solidly locked onto the ghostly priest.

He smirked at her, just barely noticeable. _**Forgive me. To frighten you is not my intention.**_

The psychic slowly, and painfully, got to her aching feet, taking a few hesitant steps closer to him. She shivered at the cold, intruding air that now permeated the little apartment.

_What is it you want, priest? I think you have already set things in motion._

_**I want you to help Alonus.**_

_How? How am I gonna do that? You see this face? This wrinkled face with eyes that can barely see anymore? I am too old to go gallavantin' around with some long lost love of yours. And certainly no heradus. I may understand them now, but I'm not ashamed to say they give me a fright like nothing I've ever known. No, no, Barabas. You just leave me be now._

She turned to walk away and head to her bedroom, but the ancient Roman quickly rematerialized right in front of her. Jezelle gave a jump and nearly fell backwards, but it seemed some unseen force steadied her balance.

_**I know old woman, I know. But you are gifted. I am not asking for any physical labor. Just help her. When she arrives here in this county, I will direct her to you.**_

_Here? In this apartment? Are you out of your mind? _Jezelle waved a hand at him. _Now I know for sure you're crazy! Out of your damned mind! She can't come here! We'll have fifty senior citizens being carted out of this building on stretchers! You hear me?_

There was deep laughter, echoing throughout her mind. _**No, not here. Go to your old home. You still own it, no one is there.**_

_To my old home? I can't go back there. It's got too many bad memories for me. That's why I'm not selling that place. Just gonna have them tear it down..._

_**Jezelle. Please. The time for argument is gone. I need your help, and now. Do you want to stop Goliathus? You know he cannot be killed. The only way to stop him is to change him. To bring him back to what he once was. And young Solarus, he is innocent. He is a vibrant soul and his heart is good. He loves his mother. I cannot rest until I know that both my son and grandson are safe.**_

_And Alonus?_

_**I hope to see a future for her as well. I know there are others. Perhaps she will even fall in love with another human. Their race will return.**_

_Oh, wait a minute now...I don't know about that, Barabas. What if we just end up with another Creeper, somewhere down the line?_

_**I suppose that always such a risk will linger. But I know they are good. You will not have much to fear with Alonus as queen. She is a magnificent heradus, and her heart knows no evil.**_

_Hm. If you say so. So, what am I gonna do exactly when she gets here? _She clicked her tongue. _Now you gonna make me go and get my car out from the garage, haven't driven for years, you know that? I gotta go and see if I got money for gas-_

Jezelle stopped her mental thoughts. The priest has suddenly vanished. All that remained was a lingering coolness in the air.

_Well. Isn't that just like a man._

_/_

Jezelle drove her rusty, ancient Oldsmobile down Route 9. She just couldn't believe that she had let some ghostly priest talk her into this. But damn...of course this wasn't just _any_ ol' ghost. This was Barabas. Why she felt compelled to help him, she really couldn't say. But it was going to take a whole lot of fear control to face what she knew she was going to have to face, one way or the other.

_I have a feeling this will be my last hoorah. Heh, go figure. Some old black woman like me gonna help a whole race come back into being._

_Lord help me. _Her face had gone very serious as she stared on ahead down the road.

Finally another half an hour later down the endless road, her old, dilapidated home came into view. It was really nothing special with loose tiles on the roof and an overgrown garden that was more like a mini jungle. The house looked as if someone had not lived there for nearly a century, as far as she was concerned.

Jezelle however was particularly surprised that she had literally been able to just sneak out of the nursing home.

_Security my ass. I probably AM better off at home. _As she turned right and parked the car slowly into the dusty gravel driveway, she took a good look around before even opening her door. No, no heradus creature thing yet. That was good, her poor old heart couldn't take much more sudden arrivals.

The door creaked open and she stepped out. "Home. I guess I'm back home...for now."

She got to her door and almost put the key in the lock when she swore she heard something. Quickly she turned her stiff neck to look about behind her but nothing was there.

_I really hate this._

/

Time for surgery. This was gonna be fun.

The Creeper was strung up by chains, held fast against the back wall and only place of his prison that wasn't electrified. He was getting quite weak, and so his struggling had been rather useless. Of course he still managed to break a chain or two, but Trisha had solved that problem by having her man zap him again with their tasers a few more dozen times.

That has ceased his movements real fast.

When the men were absolutely certain he wasn't going anywhere, Trish had ordered the door opened, and surrounded by at least ten of them with tasers at the ready, had gone in to confront him.

"Well. Let's see what's it's like to play _you_ for one day." She somehow managed to stare him in the eyes as she said this, but he only glared back at her in his usual unsettling fashion.

He said nothing. Had had not spoken anything since he had said to her "Do what you will."

Well that was fine, she certainly _was_ going to do whatever she felt like.

Anything to make him pay, to make him suffer for killing her brother.

"I say the eyes go first, boys. What do you think?"

It was Michael who nodded, and motioned for them to move in. In their hands they now had long prod-type objects with blades at the end.

/

The memories were coming back. Goliathus knew they would. All he could see where the robed men, hiding their faces behind cowls who probed and cut at him like a scientific experiment. Despite all the pain he had kept trying to crane his neck to see where his mother was, what they were doing to her.

All he could hear were her screams, and then he would scream too, because there was nothing he could do about it.

_You came to me in a dream, mother, and called me a monster. But are not these tormentors the monster? Why do you defend these pathetic humans? These lumps of tasty flesh? They are nothing. We are superior. Have you forgotten that?_

And Goliathus was rather surprised, to hear the answer.

_If you hate them so, then why do you now love a human woman, who has borne your child?_

He snarled, having no answer he could give her. Because that answer was one he kept fighting back in his mind. He was supposed to hate them. He was supposed to kill them.

He wasn't supposed to feel _anything_.

/

There had definitely been a sound, and the air had gone still. Eerily and impossibly still. Jezelle tried to calm her pounding heartbeat with deep, deep breaths. About the third time she let out a lungful of air, she heard the most frightening, gargled voice her ears would ever register.

"Food..."

Jezelle turned and tried not to scream. The figure that had approached had obviously just landed...the leathery, cracked wings were outstretched. But it was skinny as a rail, and reeked with an odor of something akin to old horseflesh. Her midnight black skin was stretched tightly over every bone in her body. She only had wisps of hair over a mostly bald head, and looked feeble enough to blow away in the wind. However those claws...those teeth...they were still wicked as ever. Jezelle could see the resemblance to the Creeper, it was there. Oh he was by far taller...and much bulkier, then this slender and lithe little thing that wasn't much taller than herself. But oh god the sight of her...and the smell...

"Food..." Came the gargled voice again, and Jezelle suddenly leapt into action. _She _wasn't going to become food if she had any say in it. The neighbors next door had horses, and the Taggarts farther down the road had some of their own animals.

_I can't send her to the Taggarts, no way. Gonna have to be those poor riding horses, I guess._

"There...there's horses, across the street there." She motioned with a wrinkled hand behind Alonus. " We're so far into the boon docks ya see...back here...no one cares about what animals anyone's got...and a good chance no one's gonna see ya neither. So you just go back there and take what you must."

The heradus didn't move. She just stared at her through newly formed eyes but it didn't seem she was really focusing.

"Good lord, child. Have you really just flown all the way here from Rome? That can't even be possible in that span of time..."

_I did not. I folded into the wind. It has weakened me. I was better before. But the bulla is lost._

"Good lord..." Jezelle stepped back. "Good lord." She hardly knew what to say to all of that, and surely didn't understand what the heck she was talking about.

_You are Woman of the Seeing Eyes._

_And you're Alonus._

_Yes. You say there are horses? They are larger than cows. Two will do._

_Yeah...horses. Really not for eating, people ride them. But I guess you gotta do what you gotta do._

Alonus turned, looking towards the neighbor's farm. She sniffed the air but the sound was like wind passing through a straw.

_My senses are not fully restored. I had great difficulty in eating the cows in Rome to get here, I struggled and fought with them. This body is so old, and so ruined. It will take much effort for me. Using spells has only made me weaker, I need your help to kill those horses._

Jezelle shook her head fiercely. "Your _man_ told me I would have no physical labor involved in this! You want to talk about old and ruined? You just look at this human standing before you right now! I'm almost 90, you understand? I am in no condition to help you kill anything."

_If only I had not lost the bulla... _Alonus frowned, and sank down slowly into a sitting position.

_What is this bulla? _Jezelle asked, returning to mind speech.

_Barabas wore it. It has his strong energy, although it is the boy Darius who helped him, as he told me. I do not know much about this boy, but he too is a wandering spirit who is trying to stop his sister from...from..._

_She has your son. After all these years, she caught the Creeper. That's what humans have called him although from what I learned he had many, many titles. Goliathus is his real name, right?_

_Yes. _There were tears now in Alonus' eyes, although from what exactly the old psychic couldn't be sure. Pain? Exhaustion? Memories?

_Well. _Jezelle sighed deeply. _I do have a shotgun. I guess I could use that. Be an easy way._

She stepped forward and grabbed Alonus carefully by the arm.

_You have to tell me something._

_Ask._

_How many "Creepers" have existed in your kind?_

Alonus shrank back, her expression stiffening. _That is a story I will tell you if you insist. But for now, I need those horses. I must hurry. I have such anger towards my son, but at the same time my beloved Barabas is right. If this torture my son is enduring is allowed to continue, then you will simply have no way to be rid of him. The Creeper will reign, his mind will be completely lost to insanity._

_Trisha can't kill him, can she?_

_No. She can harm him, ruin him, but not kill him._

_But you? You were killed, in a way. I mean you came back, but after thousands-_

_Old woman. There is no time for these answers now. Please._

Jezelle stood still for several long minutes then nodded just barely. "All right. I'm gonna get that shotgun."

She went into the house, Alonus following her. Jezelle went straight for the living room and lifted the shotgun off its mount on the wall. She found an old box of bullets in a nearby lamp stand drawer and loaded it.

"Lord knows I haven't used this thing in more years than I can count. Went huntin' with my daddy when he was alive a few times, and then this here gun just sat there on the wall for years and years...reminding me of those painful memories..." she shook her head, squinting back against the tears forming in her bloodshot eyes. "Well, like you said, no time for stories. All right Alonus you follow me across the way, but keep yourself at a distance, hide close by in the bushes and trees. If that ol' codger neighbor of mine happens to be home I'd rather he see some crazy old woman with a shotgun than a half skeletal heradus, you understand now?"

Alonus responded by quickly heading for cover and her dark form diseappearing perfectly into the night.

"Good. Lord have _mercy_ I can't believe I'm doing this." Jezelle didn't bother to mention that her ailing vision wouldn't make her a great aim, either.

/

End Chapter 13.

_I do apologize for the delay in this chapter. I worked on it slowly but surely. I'm not so sure about it but best I can do. Please review, more coming soon!_


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

/

Jezelle crept slowly around her neighbor's house, keeping the gun held up slightly. The weapon sure seemed heavier than it had all those years ago. When was the last time she had actually used it anyway? For all she knew the damned thing would backfire on her and cause her grave injury.

_What the hell am I doing? _It had been quite a few times she'd ask that question to herself. _If that ol' grump Douglas sees me I'm gonna have to contrive some pretty wild story to explain this..._

_Old woman. Are you going to shoot the horse or not? I am starving._

Startled by the intrusion in her mind Jezelle flattened herself against the siding of the house and muttered a curse. Sweat was beading all over her forehead and dripping down her face, so great was her anxiety. Her eyes searched the darkness but Alonus was nowhere to be seen. However, Jezelle knew she was there, and very close by. Her black color made her truly impossible to see in the night, which led to an unwelcome thought that if Alonus _was_ a human killer, she'd have a very easy time of it.

_I would. But I have no interest in eating humans. I've been tempted a time or two, but I believe we females have greater resistance than the males. They are led by surging hormones and a hunger far greater than our own._

Jezelle could not fully suppress the subdued chuckle from her throat. _And centuries later, it's all the same Miss Alonus. Heradus or human. All the same. _For some reason keeping the mental conversation going with Alonus eased her anxiety a little as she continued to creep towards the barn, trying not to snap any twigs under her boots. _Why is that really, hm? I mean...why do you think that is? _She could smell the horses now, heard them shifting in their stalls and the sound of the hay crunching under their hooves. A few steps more and she was inside, where it was even more dark and even harder to see. Jezelle squinted, trying to see at least their movement.

_They are guardians. The powers are stronger. A greater, more powerful body requires more food._

_Yeah...the Creeper...I mean...your son...he never stops eating, though. Never. Is that normal?_

_No. _Alonus cut the word short, and Jezelle could only wonder why she answered so quickly. Her old eyes having adjusted slightly now she could see the horses shapes a bit better but the details were quite hard to make out. She held up the gun and aimed towards the nearest moving shadow, praying for a good hit and aiming for what she thought was the head. Last thing she needed to do was cause the animal any great suffering, she'd never forgive herself.

_Oh lord please, please let Douglas be away somewhere._

Jezelle gripped the gun more tightly than was necessary, and pulled the trigger.

/

_Mumma. I want to fly today! Do you have any food for me? Mumma, so hungry._

Ami opened her eyes slowly. They were upstairs in the master bedroom, and glancing at the clock Ami realized she had slept far longer than intended. In fact, she didn't even remember falling asleep to begin with. She looked around for Solarus, and her eyes widened when she saw him teetering delicately on the windowsill of the large bedroom window. It was wide open and warm breezes were flowing into the room. The sun was just barely starting to peek out from the horizon.

_Sollie?_

He turned slightly, gazing at her with his intense golden orbs. A smile spread on his face, showing tiny, pointed teeth. _Mumma. Sollie likes the sun._

_Do you? I named you after it. _Ami furrowed her brow, every time she even blinked, her hybrid child seemed like he had gotten smarter or bigger.

He spread his little wings. _I can fly, mumma. Go fly now? I catch that see? That! _He pointed wildly, and Ami got out of the bed to see what he was going on about it. Gazing down at a nearby pine tree she saw a red squirrel, jumping amongst the branches and eating what looked like seeds from the pinecones.

_You want to catch it?_

_Yes catch and eat it. I hunt, mumma. I good hunter. I strong. Daddy, he say so._

_I don't think you can fly quite yet, Solarus. You can glide maybe._

_Nuuuu. I fly, and catch tree fuzzy!_

_It's called a squirrel._

_Oh. Then I fly, and catch sqwirl._

Ami shook her head slightly with a grin, running her fingers through the soft white hairs on his head. _If you get stuck in that tree don't blame me, cause I warned you._

_I no get stuck. I fly back._

Ami felt a twinge of apprehension. Normally the idea of letting a child jump out of a window would be insane. But this was no ordinary child. This was Solarus, a heradus, who was already showing signs of his desire to hunt.

_Be careful, ok?_

_Ok mumma._

_And it's momma. Can you say momma? I don't know where you get "mumma" from._

_Ok mumma._

Solarus giggled and suddenly jumped out of the window. Ami gasped but watched him as his little grey wings caught the air, and he rather successfully if somewhat unsteadily made it to the tree. The squirrel gave a squeak of alarm and took off like lightning, darting up the trunk to a higher point then sailing across to the branch of another tree. Solarus followed with incredible determination and scrambled up after him, then used his wings to once again glide to another big branch in his pursuit.

Ami lost sight of the two, and feeling a little more uneasy she quickly headed down the stairs in her nightgown and quicky exited out the cabin door, looking skywards and searching the trees. She heard a scuffling noise, a terrible squeak, and then her child came soaring down towards her and she quickly caught him in her arms. The limp and bloody mass of bushy red fur hung in his jaws and the squirrel, not quite dead yet, kicked out feebly with its back legs.

Solarus looked up at her, and she could see the pride in his glistening eyes.

Ami hardly knew what to say or do. That had all happened rather fast.

_Well._

_Got it mumma, got sqwirl!_

_So now what?_

In reponse Solarus crawled down from her and set himself on the ground. Ami watched in fascinated horror as he pulled on the squirrel's head effectively decapitating it and swallowing it whole. He finished off the rest of the squirrel in a similar fashion, fur and all.

_Now sqwirl gone! _He giggled, once again showing his teeth which reminded Ami of his father. The thought sent an unbidden shiver down her spine, and not a pleasant one.

_Uhm...well good. You've had breakfast then-_

_Mumma want one too? I get one for you mumma. You share fishie, Sollie share sqwirl with you!_

_No, no. I don't eat squirrels. Especially not...raw..._

Ami tried to hide the revulsion creeping into her mind, but Solarus seemed to pick up on it. He blinked at her in confusion, but didn't seem to linger on it and looked back at the trees.

_I ask daddy what he eat. He say nothing. He say no one feeding him. Why mumma? Why they hurt daddy?_

Ami felt her heart lurch and suddenly there was reality again, reminding her why they were here in this cabin to begin with. Good god, had Alonus gotten to him yet? She felt so useless and hopeless just staying here and not being able to do anything.

And then she realized that Solarus was _talking_ to his father. Now. In the present!

_Goliathus?_

Ami spoke the name in her mind softly, trying not to let the emotions overwhelm her.

_Can you hear me?_

There was no answer, but Ami felt an incredible flash of rage that sent fear drowning out her other senses and and caused intense pain like a massive headache. Mercifully it didn't last long.

Solarus immediately started wailing, crying like she had never heard before.

_No daddy! Nuuuu!_

Her heart shattered into pieces at seeing the alligator tears flowing down his face.

/

They were out in a field, several yards away from the barn, and two horse carcasses lie on the ground, one stripped of everything down to the bones, the other halfway there. Jezelle was so tired and weary, her old body complaining of last night's efforts with a great deal of aching and pain, but she tried to ignore it. Thank the good lord her neighbor had not been home. Her eyes right now were riveted onto the scene, while Alonus continued to eat without slowing.

_You going to be all right now?_

_Yes. Quite._

_Good. So I can go back home, right? I'm done honey. I feel as if my heart is gonna give out at any moment._

_You want to change that, Jezelle?_

The question startled her. Change what?

_That's the first time you've used my name-_

_It's not a pleasant thing, but I can change that for you. You would, however, be more mentally connected to me than perhaps you would want. But your gifts are quite useful, and I could use your help. You could be a great assistant and friend to me, while I try to restart this race which is nearly lost. You are also a connection to this present time, to a new world I can scarcely comprehend._

Jezelle blinked in confusion, staring at the heradus as if she had grown three heads.

_I don't...I don't think I understand you._

Alonus lifted her face from the carcass, covered in the blood of the animals from head to toe.

_A blood exchange. We have not done this for any human in a very long time. But I see that you are worthy. You put all fear and human reason aside to help me, and I want to return the favor._

Jezelle went still for a long silence, then slowly shook her head. _I would not want to be what you are._

_No, you would not be like one of us in the physical sense. But you would have supernatural abilities of healing and strength. _Alonus lowered her head, her eyes moistening. _I would have done this for my Barabas, but too many circumstances prevented me. In the end, he went mad, and I knew he could no longer be worthy. I still love him. I still yearn for him. But I know now I made a mistake, and paid for it. Dearly._

Before Jezelle could respond, she continued, gazing at her once more. _I have another hope now, in my...daughter-in-law, if you will. She is amazing, from what Barabas has told me. And she has given me a grandson. I will need help in protecting them, Jezelle. You could be the first to help me. Then once I have freed my son, I will seek out my nephew. I know he is out there, somewhere._

Jezelle was so shocked her mouth hung open. _Good lord! Nephew? Nephew! You have more family out there?_

_Dinarius. I am not sure of where he is. He could still be alive and hiding, or perhaps in a state such as I was. Either way I will find out once I have rescued my son. I will need Dinarius' help too, and he is another strong male to breed more of our kind. Perhaps we can find a mate for him as well._

Jezelle gave a sharp laugh in utter astonishment, shaking her head slowly and wiping sweat off her brow. "Oh geezus. I can't believe any of this. Not a word. _Geezus_."

/

It took quite some time to calm Solarus down. Ami rocked him back and forth in her arms. _Oh baby, it's all right. It's all right. Tell momma what happened._

But Solarus would not answer, although he had reduced his wailing to hiccups and sniffles. He seemed lost in thought, was his father still talking to him?

Ami sighed and tried again. Why wouldn't Goliathus talk to her? She had been worrying madly over him since the day he left to go deal with "human pests", as he put it. Was she so worthless to him that he wouldn't even speak to her?

_Goliathus. I know that Trisha person has you. I don't know much about her, only what Barabas has told me. I'm so worried about you. Are you all right?_

There was answer this time. It was incredibly weak and like a whistling breeze more than words in her mind. _...no food...pain...only pain... _The softness to the words, so unlike his hard, cold, and calculating personality that she was so used to, caused her to feel the need to sit down immediately. She slowly sank down onto a fallen log nearby, holding the still sniffling Solarus close to her.

Ami decided that there was no need to keep him in the dark about what was going on, now that she could finally speak to him. _Your mother is coming Goliathus. She'll get you out of there._

A wash of intense surprise overcame her. She blinked back the tears at the disturbing way he was speaking. This was _not_ like the Goliathus she knew at all. Had she somehow connected to a subconscious part of him?

_Mother? Mother is dead. _

_She is not. I helped her. I went to the cathedral through your father. Goliathus your mother is alive again. Regenerated, if you will. I think Jezelle, the psychic woman you've met before, is helping her. Something about her and Trisha...and-_

_Darry. It is all about Darry. _

_Whose Darry?_

_The boy I killed. Took his eyes. Now his sister wants her revenge. _She felt, more than heard, a weak chuckle in her mind, but it was quickly replaced by savage hatred. _They think...I should be sorry. Should I be sorry? No humans were ever sorry at the pain they caused me! I hate these people who torment me. I want to kill all of them. But now, I have no eyes. I have no arms. And still they cut me apart._

Ami could not respond. The combined sadness coming from both him and her own feelings was far too much. She tried to pull away from his mental sendings, but it felt as if he were now gripping onto her like a drowning victim to a rope.

_My mother. If this is true, send her away! They will only torture her as they are me! Send her away! SEND HER AWAY!_

His voice, now roaring into her mind, caused Ami to scream out in pain. The almost tender way he had been speaking to her disappeared in a flash.

_Goliathus no she will help you, she will help you!_

_Who the hell are you to have done such a thing? When I get out of here, why should I not find you and tear you limb from limb as I have always wanted to do? This is why our race is nearly gone! Weak, stupid minds as my mother, listening to humans and their lies! LIES!_

No! She was _not_ like them, she was different! How could Goliathus still think so little of her after all they'd been through?

Ami wanted to respond and defend herself but she remembered something important in that moment. Goliathus...and his mind. Gone into insanity. He was being kind one moment, and regressing back to his savage nature in the next. There would be no arguing with him. No amount of reasoning would convince him of anything.

He needed healing, and that was the only thing that was going to help him. She would ignore his threats, knowing once again they were idle.

_Listen. I love you. Don't give up on me. Please, don't._

It seemed like a truly useless, ridiculous thing to say, and yet it was all that would come to her mind.

_I listen. I listen to you and no other human._

Ami somehow found a smile at those unexpected words, quiet as they were. The rage seemed to die as fast as it had arrived at her profession of feelings, like water being poured over flames. But there was still incredible pain he was now guarding her from.

/

The old woman stood up slowly and marvelled at the glistening black form in the morning sunlight. Alonus was no longer a skinny, half-mummifed horror. Her form had filled out nicely, a curvy, serpentine creature with giant wings and eyes so starkly golden against her midnight skin that it was hard not to stare. Her long, blonde waves went all the way down to her waist, and she was standing there now, regarding Jezelle intently.

"So, do you want the blood exchange?" She spoke now, her voice somewhat deep but soft, carrying with it an edge of gentleness that one would not expect from a heradus at all.

_But that's just the thing, isn't it? _Jezelle thought to herself. _All we know is the Creeper. All we keep judging them by are her son's actions. _

"I don't know honey...sometimes I think...that I want to die. That I've lived my life and that going on...even if in a better body...well...I just don't know. You call what I have a gift...I've always felt this was a curse."

Alonus gave a small nod, as if she understood. "Then perhaps we will discuss this later, when you have had time to think about it more thoroughly." She looked up at the clear sky and unfurled her magnificent wingspan. The look on her face, however, when their eyes met again, was sullen and it seemed...angry.

"I have to go now and rescue a monster who deserves no rescuing. I am not so sure why I should."

Jezelle held her breath a moment, shocked. "Well child don't you...don't you still care about him?"

Alonus chuffed and flexed her claws, but the sadness in her eyes betrayed her anger. "I gave birth to him. I feel as much a monster as he is."

"But how can you blame yourself? No matter what you are, no matter this eternal hunger your kind face...he made his own decisions. It had little to do with you."

Then there was a painful, shimmering brightness that suddenly appeared next to Alonus. Jezelle felt surprised only for a moment until she recognized the flowing white robes.

_**I have tried to tell her this. But still, she blames herself. **_Barabas looked at Alonus forlornly. _**Please my love, for it is all **_**my**_** fault, and you know this. **_

Alonus did not respond, but her wings drooped to her sides.

_**I know you will have a very strained relationship in the beginning. But for now, go and rescue him, because there is Ami...and there is Solarus. We will worry about Goliathus and his mental illness when that time comes.**_

_A man-eater can not be converted, Barabas. Over so many years? No. I am afraid you are too hopeful._

Barabas sighed, and the sound echoed strangely. _**Please. They are hurting him. His pain is great. If the last good part of him gives up, Ami will surely die by his claws, and then so many more humans, my beloved. You will only stop him by helping him.**_

Jezelle noticed the tears threatening to fall from Alonus' eyes, but she shook them away and raised her wings once more. Without another word, she took to the sky, and disappeared in a rippling bending of the atmosphere moments later.

_What in the world?_

_**Teleporting. I told you, she is magnificent.**_

/

It was getting to be difficult to watch any more. Jackie felt his stomach muscles clenching and he looked away, but he held his ground. The old man, however, kept watching with a satisfied smile. It actually made Jackie feel revulsion at this own father.

"Now he can't see a damned thing, so he doesn't know where they're going to cut him next. Heh heh. I bet he's gettin' a fine taste of what it's like to be one of his victims."

_If only you knew, that what they do to me is what I learned from you wretched humans._

The words startled Jackie so much he took a few steps back, eyes blinking in astonishment. Jack noticed and furrowed his brow at him. "You all right son?"

He nodded, deciding he wasn't going to tell his father what he heard. Instead, he tried hard to push all fear aside and respond. Although he couldn't believe he was actually doing it.

_What...what do you mean?_

Jackie felt then, that the creature had heard him.

_Humans did this to you? What do you mean?_

The heradus shrieked out in agony, and Jackie saw Trisha stabbing him with the blade where the sun didn't shine. Then she pulled back hard, trying to yank it out, twisting and grunting with effort. When it finally came loose, she plunged it into his midsection, and he snarled, but weakly. Around her, her little helpers were laughing and joining in the torture. They had been stabbing him for nearly an hour. When did they plan on stopping? Wasn't it enough already?

Trisha struggled to free her blade again, then once again plunged it into his groin. He shrieked again but it was a much more pitiful sound, like a slowly dying animal.

"Just, STOP IT already!" Jackie had blurted the words out, loudly, and shocked himself to the core as he did so. Quite expectedly, his father looked at him in utter disbelief.

The entire room went silent. Trisha had turned around to look at him.

"Jackie?" Her small voice echoed in the cavernous room.

He was breathing hard, trying to get his confused emotions sorted out. He forced himself to speak again. "Stop it, Miss Jenner. Just...stop it." He shook his head. "This is wrong. So wrong."

The slight concern that had been in Trisha's voice disappeared as she now regarded him as if he had gone batshit insane. "What the hell? What do you mean this is _wrong_? I'm torturing this bastard like he did my brother." Her anger grew as another thought struck her mind. "Like he did _your BROTHER_. Or have you forgotten that, Jackie?" She threw down the weapon and stormed past Michael and out of the cage, but Jack Sr. intervened.

"Now hold on, hold on Jenner. Let's hear the boy out, hm?" Of course by now even his father was eying him suspciously, as if he also believed he had taken leave of his senses. "Jackie, maybe this _is_ more than you can handle. If that's the case then go home...I won't blame you. But wrong? No son. It isn't wrong. That's the blasted Creeper right there, in that cage. The _Creeper._ No...no it surely isn't wrong and I'm certain of that. Certain as my name is Jack Taggart."

Jackie sighed, shaking his head, but now he knew his feelings were right, and he couldn't shake them no matter how hard he tried. "I-I can't explain it, dad. Miss Jenner. I can't. But trust me on this, it's wrong. And NO, I haven't fucking forgotten about Billy. Why do you always keep asking me that?" He took a few steps backwards, increasing the distance between them. "I know about Billy! I remember him, trust me I do! I had nightmares for years about seeing him being lifted into the sky and flown away from us forever. I remember his shrieks...screaming out for me..." He was crying now, and fiercely wiping the streaming tears from his face, trying to compose his dignity. "God _dammit_ I remember!"

Trisha's face remained stoic. "Well then why do you say it's wrong? This..." she motioned behind her towards the cage. "...this should give you satisfaction. To know that this monster who snatched Billy out of your lives is now suffering. " Pausing she took a step closer to Jack Sr., as if standing by him was only further proving her words. "Your father understands this. He's waited years for this moment, Jackie. You're just feeling emotional, and I understand that. But believe me, it's not wrong. We can finally have some closure in our lives, with this bastard's suffering."

But Jackie shook his head at her, and fiercely, his face now red from crying. "No. No. Oh god, no. You are just making it worse. Don't you see? I never told dad. Never told him about the dreams with Billy...and your brother. What they told me."

Trisha lost her stoic gaze and furrowed her brow. "What? Darry?"

"Yeah, Darry. I just thought...I thought maybe it was my own imagination...coming from stress, anxiety...shit, I don't know. But what I do know is that those dreams felt _so_ real...so freaking real...and I remember every word. But I never told dad...cause I knew he wouldn't believe me, or he'd think I'd lost my mind." He seemed to be trembling all over now. "But _god_, how I WANT to be like dad...like you! I just want to hate and watch him suffer and believe that will solve everything! But I can't! I try and I just can't, because the guilt, sadness, and shame-"

"Jackie goddammit, you're not making any sense."

"I don't know how to explain it, okay? I just don't! But you're right, I can't handle this shit anymore! I want no further part in it!" With that, Jackie brushed harshly past his father and headed for the way out.

It was in that exact moment that there was the loudest, most terrifying shriek he had ever heard in his life. Spinning around on his heels, Jackie sought out the source of the noise and his eyes went wide at the sight before him, inches away.

Another one of those creatures. About his height, but she was like a coiled black snake, ready to pounce at any movement. Jackie couldn't even breathe.

"No! NO!" It was Trisha, screaming in shock and fear at the sight of another monster. The men in the cage reacted swiftly however, and circled around her protectively, weapons held up in the creature's direction.

"Don't move. We're warning you."

Alonus hissed. The sound caused even these highly trained men to flinch.

"You are threatening me? Release my son now, or I will raise hell." Alonus crouched as if a panther, her golden eyes darting back and forth between all of them. Inside, she was a bit fearful, this was unlike any other cathedral she had ever seen, with strange metal structures and odd, unpleasant odors. A weird, foreign world that she did not feel comfortable in.

"Your son? Your _son?_" It was Trisha again, who pushed away from her protective circle to take a few hesitant steps closer, although she was still far out of reach. "Who the hell _are_ you? What the fuck is going on?"

"You. You must be Patricia Jenner. My Barabas has told me about you."

The words only confused Trisha further, and she stood there, frozen.

"He has said that you are carrying out your planned revenge. That my son killed your brother." Her gaze bored into her. "I understand. Believe me when I tell you, that I can understand. I wanted to kill all the Roman soldiers that came after my priest, who tortured my son. But here and now, you will also listen to me when I tell you that if you do not let him go, I will do what I must to stop you."

For a while, there was nothing but silence, until a malicious smirk slowly crept its way onto Trisha's features. "Really?" She cast a glance over her shoulder to her men with an unimpressed chuckle. "Wow. This just keeps getting better and better. So...what? You think that I'm afraid of you? I'm done being afraid! I'm done, and I'm going to kill you just like your son. If you really are the mother of that fucking monster, then you need to die right along with him!" Trisha signaled, and the men fired their electrified tasers. However, much to their great astonishment, the air shuddered around her and she disappeared, causing them to crash and spark uselessly against the wall.

Jack had been watching, just as shocked as everyone else. He went to find his rifle, but his son stopped him. "Dad no! Let's just get the hell out of here!"

"Jackie do you see that? Do you? It's another of those god damned fucking monsters!" He was hysterical as he tried with shaking hands to load his gun as quickly as possible.

"Dad, listen to me! Let's go, and NOW!" Jackie tried to tug on his arm, but it was useless. His dad shoved him away, aimed, and fired, but by the time he had, the creature had suddenly vanished.

Then, she appeared again, phasing right in front of Trisha, picking her up, and hurling her across the room. She flew back into a table, the sound of the crash echoing loudly throughout the place, and groaned at the pain in her back and shoulders as she lie on the floor. Alonus moved quickly, so fast that the men kept losing their aim as they desperately tried to strike her down. Jack Sr. began firing wildly with his shotgun, and by chance one of his bullets struck her, blasting through the leathery skin of her wing. Alonus shrieked angrily, and wheeled around towards him.

"NO!" Jackie thought for sure she was going to rip his father apart, and tried to jump inbetween them. He felt her connect with him, and in the next moment, she had him angrily hoisted up and unceremoniously dumped onto the floor.

_Stay out of this. You are not my enemy. I will not kill your father, but I will defend myself._

Then her banshee-like cry filled the air again, and Jack Sr. yelled out in fear as she snatched the gun from him and hurled it away, causing him to fall backwards.

"Release my son! Release him!" She turned to Trisha, and saw the woman slowly gathering herself off the ground, one hand reached around to her back.

"Fuck you, bitch. Never! Fire! Get her! _Get her!_"

As this was going on she heard her son's weak pleas in her mind, but ignored them. The human woman was insane, coming at her with a long stick with a sharp blade, and the men with their strange lightning weapons.

Alonus sighed, and made a decision. She lept into the air and found a higher perch, settling on a support beam. Then she flapped her wings furiously, created an incredible surge of wind like a tornado. No one was able to stay on their feet, and the entire lot of them ended up crumpled against a wall. She stopped, hoping it would keep them disoriented long enough for her to get to Goliathus.

She lept down to the floor, and quickly headed for him.

"No Trisha! Trisha! The damn electricity is turned off! Stop her, stop her!" Jack screamed, trying to get up, but his aging back had gone out from the hard fall. He groaned in pain and tried to at least get to a sitting position so he could fire at her with the shotgun, but it was no use. His body would not move.

Alonus paused briefly to stare at the old farmer, but she only scowled at him before heading into the cage, and stopped short at the sight of her son.

_Goliathus? Oh...what have they done to you?_

_Mother? _He had no eyes, or arms. His body had stab marks all over in every inch that she could see.

Was it her? After so many years did he dare hope to-

A sound of a shotgun, and she screamed. He cried out as well, suddenly more fearful than he had ever been...at least since the day of his torment, all those years ago.

_No! NO! Mother! Get out of here! GET OUT!_

It was Trisha. She had somehow managed to recover and had gotten shakily to her feet, and had taken the shotgun from the farmer. Alonus had a bleeding wound in her thigh, and was snarling at her with all teeth bared.

"You fucking, hideous monster. If you think you or the Creeper are getting out of here alive, you can all go to hell." She cocked the gun again, aimed it.

_NO! Mother!_

Alonus stared at her, then shook her head slowly. "I think that this time, Barabas has something to say about that."

For one moment, Trisha hesitated in confusion, and then suddenly a bitter coldness surrounded her. Her hands froze as if paralyzed, and she found to her growing fear that she could not press the trigger.

_**I will not let you. I cannot let you. Patricia Jenner, someday you will understand. But for now, we must get you out of the way. It is over.**_

Trisha tried to scream, but no sound would come from her throat. And in the next moment...she was suddenly no longer in the Facility.

She was in a strange cathedral, with bodies hanging everywhere, and endless, burning torches.

Trembling in overwhelming fear and confusion, she turned to see a bald man behind her, with flowing white robes and piercing blue eyes.

"We have much to discuss, young Patricia."

And then, past his shoulder, she saw Darry. Clear as day, and looking at her sadly with his warm, brown eyes.

She shook her head, her own eyes unnaturally wide.

Words would not come.

/

End Chapter 14


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

/

The Facility had fallen eerily silent. Patricia Jenner lie on the ground, unmoving, her mouth slack and drool finding its way down her chin. The Taggarts had fled, Jackie having finally convinced his father it was time to leave and half-dragging him to their truck in a hurry. It was doubtful the old farmer was truly done with this battle, but for now his injured back and bruised ribs meant he likely wasn't going to be coming back anytime soon.

The men hired by Patricia remained, their eyes riveted onto the female heradus who was trying to break the chains holding the other, larger creature. Goliathus did not move, his head hung low and he kept a horrible grimace plastered onto his face.

Alonus worked quickly, occasionally glancing back at the men as if challenging them to interfere, but not one of them moved. All of them had suffered injury from the wind attack, and most of them were in a state of shock, some standing and leaning against the wall, others remaining on the ground where they lay. Perhaps they were trying to feign death. It didn't really matter to Alonus, she simply wanted to get the job done and get out of this horrible place.

"You might want to aid me, Goliathus. You are much taller than me and twice my weight."

He didn't move, and Alonus chuffed at him angrily. She fought back insulting remarks in her mind, knowing it wouldn't do her any good. With all the strength she could muster, she broke the chains and he was at last free.

"Let us get out of here. You must fly. I will guide you until you can get yourself repaired."

Still, he said nothing. He _was_ at least standing, but all she could hear was his labored breathing. His black blood oozed all around him, subsequently causing small pools to form on the floor.

His mother sighed, taking a few paces backwards. She drew a deep breath and gave out a terrible, shrieking cry. Goliathus roared out angrily, shaking his head against the painful noise.

_Mother you never should have come._

_We need to get out of here. Where is your dwelling?_

He showed her the images mentally, of a cave hidden deep within Bells' Rock.

_A nice, deep cave. A good home. But have you defiled it?_

_Defiled it?_

_Of course. With those monstrous human remains you call "art"._

Goliathus snorted, and she felt his anger. But to this he did not reply.

_Fine. Let us just go there, and be out of this hell hole. We will deal with what we must later. But first...I want to burn this place down to the ground. Is there oil here? Something that will burn?_

Again she was met with silence. Furious now, Alonus shrieked out again, loud and piercing.

_ANSWER YOUR MOTHER!_

_I do not know! They took me here to torture me, I had no time for a __**tour**__. _He growled.

_It looks like I will have to go and bring you something to repair yourself since you choose to stand there and sulk. _She snapped open her wings and was about to make her exit when her son's response stopped her cold.

_There is no need for that. Those sniveling cowards over there will do nicely. The one named Michael, particularly. He laughed when that bitch tortured me._

And faster than anyone might expect for such an injured creature, he ran, snarling in rage, at the hired men. The screams had barely started, however, when Alonus reacted and dashed in front of him, colliding with him and both went sprawling to the ground.

_NO! You will not kill another human so long as I live!_

The resulting waves of anger that flooded her were burning hot, enough to actually cause fear to well within her. Goliathus, even with no arms or eyes, was a dangerous, frightening creature. It reminded Alonus so much of her grandfather. The thought only made her anxiety worse.

For a moment, it seemed as if her son was confused by her fear, but he screamed out at her and then went back after them with renewed fury.

He lept upon them with all of the savage ferocity of a hoard of starving wolves, and there was little Alonus could do to stop him. She began to weep bitterly as she had done nearly two thousand years ago, to see such uncontrolled blood lust controlling him with incredible, malevolent power.

When it was over, she said nothing to him. Goliathus, with renewed vision, could now see the form of his mother whom he had thought had become nothing but a faded memory. And with his great, demonic hunger satisfied, he now marveled at the sight of her.

_You have not changed at all. And now, I see you whole again. _He actually gave a slight grin, but she continued to frown at him miserably.

_And what do I see, Goliathus? Not my son. No...my son is gone. _At her renewed tears, Goliathus went still.

_You have been gone from me for as long as I can remember. And then... _she stopped, shaking her head. _Never mind. Right now, all I want to do is burn this place down. Help me do it. Before we light the fire, we must take Patricia with us. _

Goliathus' eyes narrowed, but he complied.

A brief search of the place found large containers of gasoline for the trucks, and after pouring it all over every possible inch they could cover, both inside and out,they ignited it with a pack of matches...and watched it burn for a while from above.

/

Patricia was nearly sick with the fear and shock she was experiencing. She continued to stare at her brother who looked exactly the same as he had the day the Creeper took him.

Barabas moved closer to her, and she immediately backed away from him.

"Stay away from me!" She croaked, the words coming out with great effort.

"I am not here to harm you. Rather, I think we should talk...this moment has been a long time in coming. Do you not recognize this boy behind me?" The priest stepped to the side, so that she had a clearer view. Trisha just shook her head wildly. "No, no..that's not even possible. This whole thing is _not possible!_"

"Easy, Trish. It's ok. Listen...just listen to him." Darry's voice. So familiar, so pleasant. Oh, there had been times that Trisha had found him annoying, had told him to shut up because he had pestered her or made some sarcastic comment one too many times. But not now. Not now. She wanted to run to him, embrace him, and never, ever let him go.

And yet her feet wouldn't move.

"I want to tell you my story. It is important that you listen to me; to abandon your fear and realize the truth." He came a bit closer, and Trisha seemed mesmerized by his deep, commanding voice.

"Patricia Jenner, I am Barabas, an ancient Roman priest...and I am the father of Goliathus, whom you call the Creeper."

/

The flight home carried with it a dark, unrelenting atmosphere. His mother was not just displeased with him. No...as he looked at her with her blonde waves trailing behind her in the wind, he knew that his mother _despised_ him.

But she had rescued him. Even more amazing, she was _here._

How was that even possible? Ami had said-

_This Ami. This "breeder" you chose. Have you given her the blood exchange?_

The unexpected question caused Goliathus to look at her, slowing his wingbeats to try and keep pace. _Blood exchange? Why on all this earth would I do that for any human?_

_Not even this one?_

It took him a while to respond. _I see no reason to._

_She is not worthy? Is that what you are implying? _Her golden eyes were on him, glistening with anger.

_Why would she be?_

_Goliathus do not play the stubborn bull with me. She has borne a child for you. _

_And that makes her worthy? _

_Of course it does! She loves that child...this Solarus, whom I am so anxious to meet. Worthy hardly describes her!_

Goliathus snorted loudly. _Humans are food...cattle for the picking. No human is worthy to me...even her._

The awareness of this lie surprised Goliathus. He loathed how it made him feel. For just one fleeting moment, shame actually weighed on his heart.

His mother wheeled sharply, suddenly coming towards him. She gripped his shoulders, dug in her claws painfully, and he realized she was trying force him to the ground. Rather than fight her, he relented and headed to land.

When they did, her disgust, sadness, and outrage overwhelmed his senses.

_You will stop eating humans. _He had never heard his mother speak this way before, so low and set in stone. This was not a compromise. It was a demand. The realization of this bristled him, his own anger rising to her in a defiant challenge.

_You will not stop me._

_Listen to me. You have no need of humans. You would regenerate just fine with animals._

_Of course I know this, mother. But I choose to eat humans. I always have. _

_And you are a monster because of it!_

He chuckled. _And you...are a fool. A weak fool, who saw first-hand the destruction humans are capable of. We are a superior race. I feast on humans because they are pathetic and cruel. Do you not remember what they did to us?_

_That Goliathus...is borne of fear. Humans hate us because they do not understand us. And they fear what they do not understand._

He snorted, incredulous. _And so...this justifies them torturing us?_

Alonus sighed, glancing towards the star-lit sky. _It was not always this way, my son. Once so many years ago, we knew many humans such as Barabas...and Ami...even the Woman of the Seeing Eyes...Jezelle. Humans who could put aside their fear and realize we can be allies...even friends. Such times are long gone, and I saw first-hand those relationships severed. But Goliathus...we caused it. Don't you understand?_

He tilted his head. _Understand what?_

_We ruined the relationships with humans as much as some did with us. Our hunger caused great evil, and their hatred as well._

_I do not understand._

_You are not the first. The first to...fall prey to this addiction._

Goliathus blinked, not showing emotion but inside he was clearly intrigued. _And...?_

_Your great grandfather. Ramonus. And others before him. _

_Ramonus? _Goliathus searched his memory, but no image came.

_You never met him. But he was far more terrible than even you. He ate humans with such a terrible greed that even very young children...infants...were not safe from him. _Fresh tears sprang to her eyes, but she composed herself quickly, blinking them away.

Infants. Goliathus could not recollect ever going so far as to attack the young human children. Teenagers...but not children. Why was that? Why should he even care? But for some reason...the thought of eating children had never been appealing. Perhaps it was because it simply seemed pointless...like eating a tiny fish caught on a line instead of throwing it back to mature.

_What became of him? Your grandfather?_

Alonus suddenly seemed to deflate, her wings now hanging limply to her sides.

_What became of him...I hope...is nothing. _

The vague answer confused Goliathus, but he decided that for now, he would not press the issue. He attempted to shrug off the conversation and lept back into the sky. She followed him, but lingered behind.

/

Ami had been sitting in the cabin all day, bored and listening to the ticking of the clock on the wall. Solarus had been strangely quiet, occasionally looking up towards the window and out to the sky. She'd watch him, as his eyes moved, like he was seeing some invisible thing.

_I hate not knowing what's going on. What do you see, Solarus?_

_Mumma. They come._

_Huh?_

_Daddy...he coming. With grandmumma! _Suddenly he bubbled over with excitement, actually standing now on two little chubby legs and making his way to the window. With a flap or two, he grabbed onto the sill.

Ami sprang from the couch, for some odd reason, she felt like she would get into trouble if he found her here. The fear was renewed. Grabbing Solarus, she gathered only what she could in a big hurry before bursting out the door and scrambling down the hill. Huffing and puffing, she tried to go as fast as her legs would carry her down the gravel-covered hill and made her way back to the cave. Solarus clung to her, protesting, and greatly confused by her actions.

_Danger? Where mumma going?_

But she didn't answer him, and kept running.

/

_I think I see it, over there._

The two heradus had reached Bells' Rock. Goliathus took a deep breath of the crisp air, very glad to be back home. He wondered about Ami, wondered what had happened to her, or how she had managed to survive. Her supplies had been low when she left...and she was all alone...no, he didn't care. So long as his breeder lived, that was all which mattered.

_This was once very old farmer's land._

_Yes mother. It was. _He answered simply, and angled down to the right to circle around once before landing near the little brick house.

When Alonus followed suit she took a few steps closer, and stood for several long minutes staring at the makeshift doors and window coverings of deerskins.

_You made these?_

Goliathus glanced them over, seeming uninterested. _No. The woman did. She asked for deer, I hunted them._

_Did you eat them?_

_Eventually. _He made a grimace. _Dull, boring meat._

His mother looked for one moment like she might scream again, but she held her silence. _You have truly been corrupted. Deer are delicious. So are cows and horses. All of these big animals which we have always fed on._

He grunted, and walked quickly past her, heading for his cave.

_Do you want to see inside, mother? You will live here now, I presume? This is a good cave, as you say. Perfect for us._

He turned back to her, but the look of distaste remained. _I shall not go into any cave you have defiled. I will live with Ami in her house...for now. Where the two of us shall eat dull, boring deer meat. _Her eyes narrowed.

He stood, staring at her a long while, before turning his back and flying the rest of the way to his cave. In that moment, Alonus felt him block her out. She took Patricia into the house, where she settled the still, unconscious woman onto Ami's makeshift bed. This woman her tortured her son. Now, she would have to guard her from him, for surely Goliathus would try everything he could to kill her.

/

Ami kept running in the dimming light of evening, nearly tripping over several rocks or small holes in the ground along the way. She cursed and muttered under her breath. Finally, she found that small pathway she had once encountered Barabas on. At the top she froze. She could see the two figures standing there, one tall and forboding, the other barely visible. That one's eyes shone however, and Ami knew who it was. She felt such incredible relief at seeing her.

_Alonus..._

The taller one, who she knew was Goliathus, walked away, opening his wings and heading for the cave entrance. Alonus then carried someone into the house and came back out a few minutes later. Ami wasn't sure who that was, although she had her suspicions. She took that moment to slowly and with growing nervousness head towards his mother.

As she started to move the shadowy figure turned to her, golden eyes blinking.

_My dear Ami. You are here. _Her voice was so silky and welcoming, with a kind of reassurance that truly baffled Ami. She was so entirely different than Goliathus that it seemed almost impossible that he was actually her son. Ami moved a bit faster now, her nervousness turning into reverence.

_Alonus! It's awesome to meet you...as you should be. _She smiled and Ami saw her glistening white teeth in response.

_There will never be enough words to thank you. What you have done...no...it cannot be expressed properly. _

_Grandmumma!_

Alonus moved a few steps closer, reaching out her arms. Ami handed Solarus over. She could now feel the intense affection between them, as if they had known each other forever.

_Oh look at him. He is perfect._

_I never knew I could love something so much. _Ami smiled warmly. _I can't imagine life now without my little Sollie._

Alonus nodded. _I knew this love once._

Ami looked back towards the cave, and hated so much how the fear, even at the _thought_ of him, kept returning.

_Why Alonus? I do care about Goliathus...I love him. But he still frightens me. I can't-_

_And you are right to be wary. _She chuffed angrily as she held Solarus close to her. _For what he is __**now **__is a monster, and you are more than he deserves._

Ami shivered at her mental words. _He wouldn't hurt me, would he?_

She sighed deeply. _Maybe... _Her eyes gazed back at the cave, and for one moment she closed them as if trying to console herself. _...he wants to kill you. But he can't get himself to do it. You see I think he knows how you feel. I think he feels something for you as well. But whatever makes him feel, he wants to destroy. It has always been that way since his father betrayed him._

_Barabas is truly sorry, though! He even said to me-_

_I know, Ami. I do. I know Barabas regrets. Unfortunately, the damage is already done. And now, there is a lifetime of healing ahead. I do not know if I can succeed. I do not know if he will ever change. But the plain fact is...you Ami, are still alive and breathing, and have been with him all this time. That is the one fact which Barabas is clinging to. _She sighed again. _The one fact that __**I**__ am clinging to._

After giving little Solarus another tight hug, she handed the child back to her.

_As much as I loathe all of this, I will help. I will do what I can._

_If you do go in the cave, just avoid the back rooms. There are no bodies in the front ones._

Alonus shook her head. _How horrible, for you to have to be amongst such gruesome human remains...to have seen all that you have seen. Goliathus will never have enough penance for it._

With that, the conversation was over. She headed towards the cave, with great reluctance. To go into that place would disgust her, but she knew staying out was not an option...she would have to face it all head on...and challenge her son in his own domain.

/

Darry was upset. This was the first thing that Patricia could sense, as she stared at the two figures in front of her. The cathedral was the strangest place she had ever seen. It was incredibly huge and looked as if it were still in a state of repair. She saw a turned over altar and heaps of dirt and wood...what looked like the remains of a coffin. The walls were covered all over in those hideous bodies...preserved forever in faces of torment and pain. Trisha remembered her brother telling her about it. How he sat in the car when he had finally escaped and looked so petrified and lost. Mumbling wide-eyed about bodies...the horrid bodies...hanging up on the walls of that little church's basement...and now it was all around her, ten times over of what he had seen.

At the very top she saw Barabas. She looked from the ceiling, to his ghostly form, and back again several times before finally prying her eyes from it and slowly sitting on a crude stone chair.

"That is me. But this...what you see now, is merely my energy. As is your brother." Barabas turned to him, and Darry frowned more deeply.

"Trisha. I want you stop this. Promise me you are going to stop this."

She shook her head at him and buried her face in her hands. "You've got to be kidding me..."

"No, no I'm not. You have to listen to this priest, Trisha. He will tell you everything, his entire story, and then you'll understand. Goliathus is not evil. He's just insane."

Trisha chuckled, but it was a bitter sound that died in her throat. "Yes Darry, it's insane. This whole damned thing is _insane_." Slowly she rose, and glanced over at Barabas, who met her stare instantly. It unnerved her, and made her stop farther away from him. "Darry I miss you so much. I wish, I wish I could have-"

"You couldn't have done anything. And you know it. Trish I can't deny that if our roles had been reversed I might have ended up doing the same thing you did. But I'm using this one last chance to make a difference. I don't want to see you get hurt, sis. I don't want you to continue with this mission...you've become obsessed. Psychotic almost. And I don't want to see you lose your sanity over this." He stepped closer, and Trisha opened her arms, hoping to touch him. Just to give him a hug. What she wouldn't do just to feel his arms around her again, and know her brother was there.

He did hug her, but it felt cold as ice.

No...her brother wasn't alive. This was just a cruel, twisted nightmare.

"It's not a dream. Listen to me, ok?"

Trisha looked up at him. Those sad brown eyes shouldn't really be there. But somehow they were.

"The bulla's power is gone. Alonus didn't lose it, she merely didn't realize that it faded away. And because of that, our energy is fading away, too. I have to go...my spirit doesn't belong here." Darry looked up at the bodies. "They don't belong here either."

Barabas gave a slight nod in agreement. "I shall last much longer either. It is really only because of your brother that I am here. But he speaks the truth, the strange power of the bulla is gone now. It is the few souls of the victims which remain that are sacrificing energy to keep me here now. Darry will have to go. I shall remain for as long as I can...I still have to do whatever work I can for my son until I know he is healed."

Trisha blinked, scarcely able to grasp what was being told to her. "Tell me something."

"Do ask."

"How..._why_ did you father one of these creatures? How could you lie with that monster?"

Barabas went rigid and his gaze bored into her. Trisha held her ground as the priest neared, but this fear was more raw than what she had known with the Creeper.

"Do not call my Alonus a _monster_. That heradus has never feasted on a human in her life. She is not evil, she is not a man-eater, and she is not a _**monster**_."

Trisha shivered, but said nothing.

"She is also a queen. I know not if she speaks of royalty or simply her status as a female. Perhaps all female heradus are queens. What I do know is that they are a race that deserves another chance. You cannot judge all of them, and most especially Alonus, on the actions of my son."

With that Trisha felt words returning to her mind, but the priest did not let her speak. He continued to stare at her relentlessly, clutching his golden dagger tightly to his side.

"How are we as humans any better than him, anyhow? We too have our murderers, our rapists and psychopaths. We have men who abuse and kill children, who beat their spouses, and even women who do these things. Our race has also proven to the heradus that we are not worthy. From what my beloved has told me, there was once an alliance among heradus and human. But it was severed thousands of years ago. Our crime was to fear them, think them monsters, and turn on them. Theirs was to taste our flesh, and become addicted to it. We are not their normal...diet. My son is as a drug addict. He is addicted to something which curses him, and causes him to sleep. By breeding with a human woman, he has broken this curse and now remains awake. " Barabas stopped for a moment, turning to Darry who was listening, but also starting to fade.

The priest continued. "I am telling you, Patricia Jenner, to bring no harm to any of them...and Solarus especially." He lifted the dagger, pointing it towards her throat. "If any blood shall be shed, it will be yours, should you persue your quest. Leave them be."

At this Darry looked at the priest, pleading.

"I will do what I must Darius. To cause harm to your sister is not my desire. But I am desperate to protect them."

"C'mon Trish say you'll drop it. Please. I know it's hard, I know you want revenge. But I want all of this to be over." Darry's form was continuing to fade out of view. "Please, Trish. Please. It will end, it _will. _Let Ami do the work, trust me she will change him. " Now the wall was plainly visible behind him.

"Darry don't leave me..."

"Tell me you'll drop it! Please!" His voice, growing more echoey, was fading as fast as he was.

"Darry..." The tears poured down her face.

And an instant later, he was gone.

She woke up, gasping and struggling to breathe, and looked around at walls made of brick.

/


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

_Very mature scene at the end. This story is not, and never has been, for underage readers._

/

"Wake up Ami. I have brought you breakfast".

Ami lie on her little bed, recently filled with fresh straw, and gave a great yawn. She saw Alonus, standing over her with a faint smile. The smell of roasting meat was delicious and permeated throughout the little house. She didn't have to wonder long where it had come from. Alonus had clearly been hunting.

"What is it?"

"Well it's not deer this time, for I've been told you are sick of it." She laughed, a sound that was so strangely human. Ami grinned at her and put her feet over the side of the bed, giving another stretch and a yawn. It was good to feel normal again. Because of Barabas', her health had been renewed, and she was full of energy once more. Alonus handed her a plate; on it were simple strips of meat with what looked like a portion of oatmeal.

"You cook? Where did you get the food?"

The female heradus sat down Indian style on the floor near her, and started chewing on her own raw version of breakfast. "I've learned much about humans. I took the time to study and observe them. So yes, I can cook...when I need to. As for the food, I suppose Goliathus went and got more supplies for you."

Ami frowned, setting the plate on her lap slowly and staring at the floor. "When he goes to get me food, people usually die."

Alonus chuffed, swallowing a large mouthful of meat. "Don't fret. He might have stolen the food from some humans, but he didn't kill them." She finished her breakfast, and stood up, flexing her wings a bit. "I made sure of it."

Ami couldn't help but smile at her again, but she was still uneasy. Goliathus was wickedly powerful and determined. How long would he tolerate his mother defying him at every turn, even if he did care about her?

"But Alonus..."

"Yes?" She was nearly at the door, and looked over her shoulder.

"How will you be able to stop him all the time? He's going to outwit you at some point, or sneak off somewhere, or-"

"There will be failures." She frowned, but her voice remained determined. "But I have already said that I will do everything I can." Pushing aside the deerskin door she motioned for Ami to follow her. With her breakfast largely untouched, she followed her out.

/

Goliathus was hacking away at a large log outside. Ami immediately wondered what that was about, but Alonus seemed to know her thoughts.

"He's building me a bed. I don't like sleeping on cold stone floors...or hay..." she made a face. "It's itchy."

Ami chuckled. She watched her heradus lover and marveled at his incredible strength as he moved the log, from time to time, as if it weighed hardly anything. "He doesn't seem to mind, I don't see any beds for him. He doesn't sleep?"

Alonus shook her head. "A resting state, maybe. But the curse of the hunger keeps him awake too much."

"What about that sleeping curse? Why does it happen? I've always wondered who...set it...if you know what I mean?" Ami sat down on one of the logs near her firepit, watching him, and Alonus sat near her.

"I believe it has something to do with an Old Order of Mages. This goes back even before my time, young Ami. When the first evil happened, they formed the curse to try and stop the obsession, because all humans knew they had no chance to truly fight against us...especially the much larger and stronger males. The curse is so ingrained that apparently to this day it remains. So my son became victim to it as well. The number of his tormentors was twenty-three. That is why his curse was to sleep for twenty-three years and then awaken for twenty-three days. When Ramonus..." She paused. The name of her grandfather always seemed to deeply sadden her, and Ami impulsively put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "...when my grandfather fell prey to this evil, his curse was fifty-five years."

Ami gasped, quite shocked by this revelation.

"His first taste of human flesh instantly corrupted him. He went insane just as fast. And so, fifty five humans died in his first feeding frenzy. Some of them were loyal friends, who adored us." A few tears were brimming in her eyes, so painful were these memories etched centuries into her mind. "Some of them were female humans, friends, lovers. There were at times some of our males who had harems." She grinned slightly, even through her tears. "These harems had far more human lovers than heradus ones, ironically enough. You human women have strange attractions."

Ami giggled, enjoying her sense of humor. "Yeah...we sure do all right. I thought I was the only one. It's good to know I'm not just crazy or weird or something. But can't we say the same about you Alonus? You falling for a human man, that is?" She elbowed her playfully.

"Oh certainly. But we didn't have harems full of adoring men." She laughed then, which caused her son to stop his work and gaze at her curiously.

"I can't see how you didn't, being so wonderful as you are."

Alonus seemed taken aback by the compliment, blinking at her. "Wonderful? I can't say that is true to my own mind."

"You didn't make him this way, Alonus."

She hung her head. "I do not know if I will ever be able to accept that. To stop all of this guilt."

The axe went whistling by their heads suddenly, lodging into a small tree inches from Ami's head. She jerked back, almost falling off the log, her heart hammering in her chest as she gazed at the sharp weapon wide-eyed.

_You women talk too much. _Goliathus had neared them, and had what looked like a left-over bone from whatever Alonus had killed. He was crunching on it and slurping down the marrow with obvious relish.

Ami had her robe clutched so tightly to her chest her knuckles had turned white. That axe could have been lodged into her skull had he adjusted his throw by mere inches.

Alonus, now blazing with fury, rose up, snarling in his face. "You sadistic _demon_! Is there need for such behavior? We were minding our own business, no one asked you to listen in."

He chuckled, and still chose to speak mentally. _I find it amusing. _He didn't seem phased by her anger, and yet he distanced the space between them, heading closer to Ami. He took the spot next to her where his mother had been.

_Ami come into the cave._

She finally pried her eyes away from the axe she was staring at, and fixed her eyes on him.

_Huh? Why?_

_Because I said so._

_But...I don't want to go in there anymore. I don't even like that-_

He snarled at her. _What I tell you to do, you will __**do**_. _I thought I had made that clear a long time ago._

Ami sighed, and looked briefly back at the house. Solarus was still sleeping upstairs in a little crib his father had fashioned for him, he at least was quite handy with building things. But she hoped all this ruckus wasn't going to wake him. Her son got awfully upset when his father treated her like this.

He probably wanted sex. And it wasn't something he ever asked her about, always, always he just _demanded_ things from her, like she was a slave. _But isn't that how he's treated me from day one? This is nothing new._

And yet Alonus was here. She had gone eerily silent, listening to their conversation, but Ami knew she was seething inside. If she had this one to protect her...well then maybe Goliathus would have to learn the hard way from now on that things were not going to be as they had been before.

_No. I don't want to go in there. I like my little house, I'll stay there. You did that for me, remember?_

He growled, blue eyes now intently boring into her. She hated the fear so much. And it just kept coming back, wave after wave like a stormy sea.

Ami was sure he would snap back with some angry, demanding comment, but he didn't. Instead, he huffed, glanced at his mother, then back to her again.

_Then you have become useless to me. I have a child now, and no further use of you. Especially since mother here will defend your pathetic pride._

Ami's lips trembled. He was being cruel, and quite purposefully. This battle with him was like taking one tiny baby step forward and two leaping bounds backward. It just wasn't fair, and she knew she didn't deserve it.

"I told you that I loved you, you know." She replied hotly. He only huffed again.

_You did. And in that moment of weakness, I allowed myself to foolishly feel, for one fleeting moment, that I actually cared about you. But I don't. _He grinned wickedly, glistening malice in his eyes. _You are either good for sex whenever I please, or food. It is your choice. _

Ami wanted to burst out into tears, shaking badly from fear. She went to try and say something, but Alonus spoke first, causing Ami's head to tingle painfully as the words were loud and full of challenge.

_You pile of __**cow's dung**__. Do not speak to her that way, ever again in my presence!_

Alonus came forward, and slapped him, claws and all, quite hard across the face. It left deep, bleeding rivulets in its wake, and he surged towards her, roaring in fury. Ami screamed, terrified to see them erupt into a fight.  
>But fight they did, and it was incredibly vicious and bloody. Alonus took great damage, but still her painful high-pitched yells filled the air, and she raked at him with claws, wings, and teeth.<p>

Ami shot to her feet, tears streaming down her face and begging them to stop at the top of her lungs.

/

Inside the house, Patricia Jenner was watching from the upstairs window, horrified and eyes wide as saucers. She was still so emotionally overwhelmed that all she could do was huddle in the corner, watching them and wondering if she were even on the same planet anymore. Their screams and roars terrified her, and she covered her ears, shutting her eyes tightly.

Little Solarus in the other small, adjoining room, was of course awake now and crying loudly. Trisha looked over through the open doorway and actually felt a slight twinge of pity for the miserable creature. It was probably just as scared as she was. But try as she might, she couldn't get herself to go over to him and hold him,or try and calm down. No, she'd rather kill that hideous thing, but her brother's words kept echoing in her mind.

_'Don't hurt them Trish! Let Ami handle it! Let Ami!'_

Ami? What in the hell was she going to do, with two snarling monsters tearing at each other like that?

Trisha put her head between her knees, and tried to block them out even more.

/

After ten more minutes the fight was over. Goliathus was still roaring into their minds, his head crest held high, and acting completely crazy.

_You are a stupid fool, mother! I told you! A __**fool**__! I believe that you would rather be a human, weak and pathetic as they are!_

He had many injuries, from huge gashes in his legs and chest to her bite marks all over his shoulders and sides. But he seemed to be an iron wall against the pain, feeling nothing, as his anger flowed. _And now, brought back to life, you are even weaker than before!_

He came closer again, and Alonus opened her ruined wings, ready to block him with whatever strength she had left as she stood there panting, but he only pointed a clawed finger at her. _She is MINE! MINE! I will do with her as I please!_

With that he reached around for Ami, who was only about a yard away from them, still crying and trying to calm herself down from the sight of the frightening spectacle of their fight. She screamed out in raw fear when he grabbed her, feeling no more security about anything between them that had once existed...even tentative as it had been.

He grabbed her tightly, and Ami could feel the building energy in his legs, he was ready to take her and fly off to god knows where.

_No, no, please Goliathus, please! Let me go! _

She screamed again as she felt a claw dig into her side, painful and burning.

_I will give you plenty to scream about if you do not shut up._

He opened his wings, and was about to take off, but a sudden, incredible force weighed him down. Trying again he snarled in fury when he realized he still could not move, as if his legs had become stone.

Turning around, he saw his father, his face livid.

_**You will go nowhere with any intent to harm that woman. Must I always be here now, watching over my son, who likes to have his temper tantrums so he can have his way? You know full well that if you kill Ami you will regret it.**_

Alonus, upon seeing her love, sighed deeply. Finally, she could relax, and now her body ached with pain from her wounds.

_**Look at what you have done to your mother! You who has told me how you despised her tormentors for what they did to her, and yet you have harmed her all the same! Look! LOOK!**_

Goliathus froze as the shame washed over him. Feeling his anger suddenly melt away, he slowly loosed his grip on Ami and she squirmed away from him , quickly running to the priest and trying to hide behind his brightly glowing form.

They all stood there, staring at each other for a time. Then Goliathus gave a loud chuff, spun around and stormed off to his cave...alone.

But Ami heard his words, knowing his parents did not. A thought for her only.

_Do not think they can keep you safe. If I want to kill you, I will. Our ties are severed. You are as useless as any other human and nothing but a potential meal._

She gritted her teeth against his bitter cold announcement, and forced herself not to cry again. _I don't believe you, and if you want to talk about fools...the only fool I see here is you. You won't kill me Goliathus. You won't. And what I said before...it still stands. No matter what you say._

He stopped for a moment, glancing over his shoulder. Saying nothing more, he flew to the entrance of the cave and disappeared inside.

Ami felt the emptiness within then, a great yawning void of nothingness that made her run back to her own house.

/

The moment she stepped inside she encountered Trisha face to face, who seemed as if she had been ready to run out the door like an escapee. "Oh. I see you're awake."

"What the hell happened out there?" Trisha's voice was hoarse, and she kept looking around as if half-expecting something to leap out of the walls.

"Trisha...I suggest you just stay out of the way. I don't know why Alonus has brought you here, other than maybe she just wants to talk to you." Ami huddled closer into her clothes, there was a strong chill in the Autumn air, making the house even colder. "I need to get a fire going."

"Wait talk to me? She wants to talk to me? About what?" Annoyingly Trisha followed Ami around, like a lost puppy, from room to room, even as she gathered firewood from outside the house to put in the fireplace.

"I don't know. But clearly a lot needs to be said, don't you think?"

Trisha blinked, then hugged herself tighter, staring down at the floor. "I'm so confused. And angry. And..." She remembered what she had seen with her brother and that priest. It wasn't a dream. It had all been real, and it was too much for her to handle. She just stopped talking.

Ami could feel pity for Trisha...after all her brother had been lost to the murdering claws of Goliathus. But liking her was a whole different story. Truth be told, she just wanted her gone.

Gone. Like this nightmare of a life. Back to her little cabin in the woods. Back to safety and normalcy.

_Mumma! You ok mumma?_

Ami went to Solarus and picked him up, nuzzling him close. _I'm ok. Let's go see grandmomma for a minute, hm?_

As she left the house, Trisha followed, but still said nothing. Ami hardly noticed, she was more intent on making sure Alonus was all right. But by the time she got back out to the clearing, Alonus was nowhere in sight.

_She must have gone back into the cave..._

Barabas too, had gone, as if he had never been there at all. But Ami silently thanked him for pretty much saving her life. Who knew what Goliathus was going to do with her had he succeeded in flying off.

"Trisha, you stay here. I need to check on something."

The older, blonde woman shook her head fiercely. "No, don't you leave me here all alone!"

"Go back into the house and just wait for me. You'll be fine."

Trisha stared at her dubiously but slowly headed back for the house, looking over her shoulder several times before finally stepping inside.

Sighing Ami held Solarus a little closer and went towards the cave. If Alonus was brave enough to confront her son in that hell hole, that she had to be too.

/

_This is a madness, Goliathus. A madness which you are repeating throughout the centuries._

Her son was ignoring her, working furiously on sewing up his latest kill. It seemed however, that he was barely focused on what he was doing, angrily stabbing the needle into the preserved flesh over and over and making poor progress.

_When will you put aside all this hatred and anger? When will you realize what you are trying to deny to yourself?_

The needle stabbed viciously through the arm of his victim and hit a bone, breaking it. Snarling, he got up from his makeshift stool and rummaged through an old, rusty metal desk drawer for another one. Finding none, he howled out his fury.

_Get out of my cave, mother. You and I have nothing in common. You worship those humans, and I loathe them. Go away, and leave me be._

Alonus felt the sting to her heart at those words, but she held her ground. _I will go nowhere. _

_Then...get out of my way! _He shoved her aside as he stormed past, heading for the entrance.

_Where are you going now?_

_To get more supplies. I have no more needles._

The matter-of-fact way in which this was stated disturbed Alonus greatly. _Listen to what you are saying? Who cares about needles? Why is this so important to you...to do this mutilation you call art?_

He paused for a long moment, teeth grinding. _It is what father did. He was an artist, I am an artist. I do it to please father._

_Please him? He is not pleased at all to know you murder humans by the thousands and put them on walls! Paint, Goliathus, use paint and brushes! Not bones and skins sown together!_

He turned, meeting her stare with narrowed eyes. _Paint and brushes. They have no life in them, mother. No expressions, no blood...no energy. _He smirked slightly. _You cannot feel the agony of a paintbrush like you can feel the life bleeding out of a human onto your canvas. _He looked over at the cave walls. _My home becomes my canvas. And daily I can look at it, reminding me of the pain and torment I have caused them._

Alonus shook her head, silenced. Goliathus only grinned at her more wickedly. _Now I suppose, you understand. _He flew out of the cave, leaving his mother standing there and feeling her task impossible.

/

Goliathus only went a short distance before he noticed Ami down below, walking towards the cave with the child in her arms.

Solarus. His training needed to start soon...now was as good a time as any.

He swept down towards her. Ami quickly bent down, trying to shield her eyes and her son from the kicked up dirt and debris caused by his wingbeats.

Goliathus landed squarely in front of her, effectively blocking her path.

_The child, human. Hand him over. I will start his training now._

_Daddy?_

_Come, Solarus._

Ami, horrified, only clung to her baby tighter. But Goliathus started to growl in warning.

_I told you what your choices were. I suggest you make the right one._

_Nuuu daddy. I stay here with mumma._

_You will not. You will come with me. _Goliathus reached out and grabbed Solarus, who gave a slight squeak of surprise at the rough handling.

_Mumma? _He reached out his little chubby arms towards her, his big eyes moist and blinking.

Ami was too scared and upset to respond. She merely stared at Goliathus in horror.

_Mumma! _Solarus turned towards his father and gave him an angry pout. _You no take Sollie. Stay with mumma. Daddy is mean! Sollie no like you!_

Goliathus snorted. _Your mother cannot teach you what I can. No more arguing._

He opened his wings and took off into the sky abruptly. Solarus cried out, kicking and clawing at him.

Ami stood, frozen and watching them until she could see them no more.

/

Goliathus flew on for quite some time. Halfway through the flight Solarus had gone quiet and sullen.

_You are a heradus, and so you need to learn hunting._

_I hunt. _Solarus kept an angry pout stubbornly plastered onto his scrunched up face. _I hunt squirl, in tree. I no stupid._

Squirrel? Goliathus snorted in disgust. _Not little rodents. Humans. I will teach you how to find them, how to sniff them out, and watch them run like frightened rabbits. _He grinned. _Much better than any squirrel._

Solarus attempted to snort in response, although it sounded a bit more like a hiccup. _No hoomans. Mumma say no hoomans...mumma is hooman! Grandmumma say no hoomans! I eat squirls! Rabbits good, though. Where rabbits, daddy?_

His father did not respond, as his anger grew. He knew all along the human woman would ruin the child, make him too soft and therefore useless as a predator. Squirrels and rabbits. A disgrace to be reduced to such fare.

_You WILL learn to hunt humans. I will show you._

Having finally come to his destination, a camp ground, he landed a few yards off, nearly silent. He hid behind a large tree and peered around, watching the activity. Solarus was clearly getting upset, squirming in his arms.

_No eat hoomans. _

There was still some light as it was early evening, but the day was cloudy and a bit cold. Goliathus noticed several humans fishing in a nearby lake. Completely distracted in their hobby, they were easy targets.

_Now you stay here, and watch Solarus. Watch closely._

He set his son down at the base of the tree, and quietly crept into the surrounding woods, attempting to remain unseen. That he was good at, and while he moved he fished out a long blade from the pocket of his duster, keeping a close eye on one particular man who was bigger and taller than the rest.

Solarus watched the fisherman. One made a strange sort of loud happy sound and yanked a big one out of the water while another human beside him grinned and patted him on the back.

_Fishie! _Solarus got to his little feet, ready to toddle over to them, but remembered his father's stern words. Frowning, he sat back down and played with his toes as he watched the strange long objects with strings continue to pull one fish after another out of the water.

The pile of fish was growing as the men put them in a big plastic bucket. They talked about eating good tonight as they pried the fish off their hooks.

Goliathus grinned to himself. There definitely _would_ be some good eating tonight. He crept a bit closer, aiming for the larger of the two. Right square in the back, towards the right, where the heart was. That was what he needed to aim for. He drew back his clawed hand, eyes now focused and intent. Like a coiled spring, any second he would release...the man reached down, putting more bait on his hook. Stepped to the side slightly.

Perfect... _now_...

The weapon flew forward, but was quickly blocked by a flash of black and a sound like flapping canvas.

_I told you! No more humans!_

Alonus turned and shrieked at the fisherman. They screamed, dropping eveything from fishing poles to the recent catches, and ran off in different directions towards their vehicles. In mere minutes, the trucks and SUVs were down the road, nearly out of sight and kicking up huge clouds of dust.

Goliathus let out his eerie call and spun around towards his mother, his eyes unnaturally wide. However, he didn't attack her. In her arms she held a small deer, perhaps a yearling.

_If you're hungry, this will do._

They stared at each other for what seemed endless minutes. Finally he snorted and turned away, but did not take the deer.

_Give it to Solarus._

She tilted her head back slightly, eying him suspiciously. _That's a good idea. A great one, in fact. Little Solarus, come here._

He perked up at the sound of his grandmother's voice, peering from around the tree he still sat beside.

_No hoomans?_

_No little one. Never a human. I have this deer for you._

_Deer! _Solarus put his small hands on the ground to push himself onto his feet, his little wings flexing for balance. He came over to her quickly.

_Daddy say watch! Hunt the hoomans. But Sollie don't want hoomans, grandmumma. Hewadus no eat hoomans, they fwiends?_

She picked him up and rubbed noses. _We would like them to be friends. But many of them don't understand us and fear us, so you need to be careful. In fact, you really can't let them see you, unless it's your mother. Understand? Someday maybe, you will find a human friend or two._

Solarus nodded, but the confusion in his eyes lingered. She lay the deer beside him as she put him down, and he eagerly began to tear into it.

_While you sit here and selfishly try to fulfill your own hunger, you ignore the needs of your son. You snatch him away from his mother who is far more capable of rasing him than you are._

_He must learn._

_Learn what? He is learning already in my eyes. Learning that although he loves his father, he must not listen to him. He knows you are wrong. He feels it in his little bones. You frighten him, and he worries you will hurt Ami._

Goliathus continued to stare at her icily, but it seemed his fire had gone out. He scraped the ground with his feet, throwing small rocks aside.

_You do not deserve a child, Goliathus. And it is for the best that you allow Ami and I to raise him. I will not...I will NOT, allow you to corrupt his beautiful nature. He is like my mother and father. Like many I can remember now as the memories slowly return. I am going soon, to go and find Dinarius. Solarus needs a protector,a __**real**__ teacher, a guardian. From you._

Her son remained silent, his face unreadable.

_And for Ami. She loves you, and she has never done anything to turn against you. You tore her from her home. Raped her repeatedly. She got pregnant, and had the child without attempting to harm it or herself. You torment her daily, playing with her emotions and breaking her heart...and yet __**still**__ she loves you. I fear she would love you even as your claws tore out her throat. Therefore, she needs a guardian too. I will certainly do what I can to protect this rare and precious human, but I cannot be around every minute. By finding my nephew, I believe I will solve that problem. He is nearly as big and strong as you are, if not an even match. You will find things will not be so easy anymore, my son._

When she finally paused, Goliathus chuckled dryly. _Every day you prove to me how much of a fool you are. This Dinarius...I doubt you will ever find him. And even if you do, he will be no match for me. _His expression changed, and he shifted, his mood seeming to turn uneasy despite his defiant words. _As for Ami you can relax. She is right, I will not kill her. But this is because she is a breeder. A treasure, a possession. I will make use of her body again, she is ripe for more children._

Alonus snarled, snapping her wings angrily. _You will make certain this is also __**her**__ desire first. Do not forget about your father. He is conserving what energy remains even as we speak, but until he is certain you have changed, he will stay and stop you at every turn. Even when I am not here. I know he can only do so much, but a spirit as strong as his is not to be contended with. He will not rest until he knows his goals are accomplished. And by the way, listen to how you lie to yourself. You said mere hours ago that you had no more use for Ami. And now you speak of wanting more children._

Slowly he looked away from her, growling. He turned, unfurling his huge wings, and took off without another word.

/

Damn it all to hell. His hunger now fierce, Goliathus had no choice but to find one of those tasteless deer to feast on. Finding them was not difficult, either...they were all over the forests of these lands. Apparently their own natural predators were scarce, allowing for overpopulation.

Tons and tons of dull, boring, and tasteless meat. Still...

He banked to his left, following a strong scent of the animals further up a large hill. As he neared the crest, he saw some moving, feeding on the grass below.

Sighing, he angled down towards them.

It would do for now. But one way or the other, he was going to get more human flesh the second he got the opportunity. His mother's words still echoed in his mind. Her mother and father? What were their names? Did they look like her, black as the night...or like him, grey as the rocks of the mountains?

And this Dinarius...as strong as he was? Someone to challenge him? He chuffed loudly, grimacing. Not possible. Even as he fell upon the first deer and they scattered in utter panic, he wondered if he would ever really have the chance to find out.

/

"He's all right, Ami. Brave little Solarus, he knew better than to listen to his father." Alonus had returned, and was handing over the child to a very relieved Ami. Hanging in the not too-far distance was Trisha, staring at them uneasily.

"Well. I must deal with this woman, it can not be put off any longer."

Ami turned to look back at her briefly. "But what are you going to do? She just isn't going to listen."

"Don't be so sure. Barabas' daughter was afraid of me at first, but after we talked for a time, she grew fond of me. And I of her. It just takes time." She seemed so certain of this as she walked closer to Trisha.

_Alonus is so hopeful. I hope she isn't going to be disappointed. But her faith in humans...she has to be admired for that._

As Alonus got closer, Trisha took a few steps back. Ami decided it best to walk away and leave them to talk. Besides, she had someone she needed to talk to as well. Ami crept away with Solarus, heading for the cave.

Not noticing at all, Alonus kept her gaze upon Trisha. "You have nothing to fear from me. Now please, take a seat." She gestured towards the crude logs near the firepit. Trisha slowly moved to sit, watching her every move.

Alonus came and sat nearby, making sure she wasn't too close. Even so, Trisha acted as if she wanted to get up and bolt at any second.

"Did you hear the message from your brother?"

The question surprised Trisha. "How do you know about that?"

"Well Barabas told me he would do this. He said it was important that you heard what your brother wanted to tell you. Now, did _listen_?"

"He has to be crazy!" Trisha blurted out. "I have to avenge him...and destroy-"

"_No._ What you _have_ to do is understand what you are not seeing. Revenge will solve nothing. It never did for any of our kind. Look what it did to my son, you know. And Ramonus, and a few others who fell even before him."

"What...what are you talking about? Whose Ramonus?" Trisha wrapped her coat around herself a bit more tightly, as there was a distinct chill in the air.

"My grandfather."

Trisha shook her head, still having trouble with the reality of what she was being told. "A _family_? There are whole families of you mon-..." she stopped herself, and bit her bottom lip. "Heradus? That's what you're called, right?"

"Yes. And of course we had families. Look, I know it's a lot to take in, and I don't expect everything to be fine in one discussion. But please...bring no harm to my grandson." She gave a hard, lingering stare, her expression darkening. "You have had your vengeance on my son. Now leave the rest to me...and Ami. If you continue this mission of yours...you will only find that in the end...you will fail, and quite possibly you will lose your life as a consequence."

Trisha actually managed to jut our her chin defiantly. "Don't threaten me, lady. I have lots of money, lots of power...and lots of _weapons_."

Alonus smirked. "Yet here you are...trapped, with _none_ of those things. No money, no power...and no weapons." As Trisha's face fell, she continued. "What you have is me protecting you from my son who wants nothing more than to let you join your brother on the other side. I suggest that for your sake, you cooperate, and listen to what I am telling you."

Grunting Trisha searched her pockets for her cell phone . But they were empty. She had absolutely no way of contacting anyone, to call for help or otherwise. And yet...they should come searching for her...soon...

"Fine. You got me there. We'll call it an uneasy truce...for now."

Alonus frowned. "I had hoped for more than that."

"You'll just have to be satisfied with that." Trisha stood up. "Where's my cell phone? It was in my pocket."

"Cell phone?" Alonus blinked.

"Never mind." With that she turned and headed back for the house, the only place that seemed to give her some semblance of sanity.

/

Goliathus was almost done eating his third deer when his eyes caught something moving a few yards off.

_Did you actually follow me all the way here?_

Ami stood watching him with moist eyes. She pulled at the sides of her tattered robe nervously.

_Alonus will think I am crazy and probably yell at me later, but I wanted to talk to you._

_Where is the child?_

_He is safe in the cave._

He went back to eating. Ami sat down on the long grass and leaves, and just waited patiently for him to finish.

Finally, after nearly an hour, of which he seemed to purposefully draw out things, he stood up and stared at her, eyes unblinking.

_My mother said something that I actually agree with._

_Oh...what's that?_

He slowly formed a wicked, leering grin, as usual. _She said that you would love me, even if I chose to tear your throat out._

Ami's breath hitched, as her fingers twirled and pulled at the grass.

_What a horrible thing to say. _

_Well, she said it._

_And you're saying this to me, because you love to watch me cry, don't you? _Yes, the tears were back. She could taste the salty warmth on her lips. Always feeling so weak and helpless against him. How she hated it.

_You ARE weak, and you ARE helpless. _He chuckled. _But... _He started to draw closer to her, flexing his claws as he walked. Ami couldn't move, she tried, but her muscles didn't comply. This was the true meaning of being paralyzed with fear. Still, she tried to compose herself and kept her eyes riveted to his.

_You can still have a purpose. I think you should get down on your hands and knees._

Ami knew this was no suggestion but most certainly a demand. But she still couldn't move and her big eyes questioned him even as more tears fell.

He growled, but Ami caught the seductive tone. He was still grinning and had come quite close to her, just inches from her face.

_You could try and calm my anger. They say it works._

_I-I don't understand, what are you talking about? _She raised a brow. _And whose they?_

He snorted, already irritated at her. _I speak in general terms. And I don't know what you humans call it, I only know it sounds rather fun. _

Ami finally pryed her eyes away from his stare only to see his erection right in her face. She managed to back away a few inches, but he moved like lightning and quickly snatched her wrist, pulling her closer again, the wiry hairs now tickling her face.

_Hmmm, my little pet. Go on, calm me. _He was still grinning at her with glistening teeth. Ami was so shocked she didn't know what to feel. He couldn't actually be suggesting that she-she... the mental image of what he was implying flashed through her mind. Of course he picked up on it, none of her own damned thoughts were hers anymore.

_Yes. I am suggesting. _He was purring now, that deep, vibrating growl that sent wicked shivers down her spine. His very presence intoxicated her as much as she feared him.

_I- can't. _Her face turned beet red. _I...don't know how. _Now she had to sit here and admit her lack of sexual experiences. She was humiliated and knew he was probably relishing every moment of it.

Goliathus hardly seemed to pay any attention to her statement. He was so highly aroused that he merely pushed more insistently against her, his clawed hands gripping onto her shoulders. Ami tried to drown all of this out...to pretend it wasn't happening, but he kept pushing against her so much that she feared he might break her jaw. Having no other choice she opened her mouth and he jammed his cock inside, going to the back of her throat and nearly choking her.

_Oh god, oh god..._

Ami certainly wasn't going to fight him in any real sense, she knew better, but every part of her did want to bite down on him.

He seemed to tense and growl in frustration as the seconds went on. Ami's eyes were tightly shut, fighting back the tears as she tried to start sucking, but his cock was too big and stretching her mouth painfully. She could barely breathe let alone try to pleasure him in this fashion.

_Stop it, STOP IT!_

He pulled away, allowing her to get a blessed breath, but this moment of respite ended quickly with a painful slash across her chest. Too shocked to scream, Ami just trembled and stared at him wide-eyed as the blood trickled down over her breasts. He snarled.

_I think you are supposed to be doing something._

_I CAN'T, with you fucking nearly choking me! _

_How pathetic. Then what use have I for you, if you can't even act like the bitch you are, and pleasure your master?_

He grabbed her again, bringing her up close to his face and digging his claws ever so painfully into her sides.

_No, Goliathus! No!_

_Listen to how you squeal like a bleeding pig. _He laughed. _ Should I put you on a spit, and roast you like one as well?_

Ami was beyond terrified at this point. Shivers of fear and pain were wracking her body, and she didn't know what to do. A memory suddenly came to her of their first meeting. How she had appeased him then. She knew she had better try something, even as she wondered where Alonus was. Surely...she would come soon?

_I am blocking her out so she doesn't know what is going on. We can do that, you know. _Goliathus snorted and licked some of the blood off of her chest. Ami squirmed, the wounds burned as he did so.

_Please Goliathus...why are doing this to me? Why?_

He titled his head, as if actually contemplating that question. _Because you will not pleasure me, and I told you that if you were not good for this, then I have no other use for you. _His eyes narrowed. _My mother has been denying me human flesh. You can blame her. It is making me...cranky. Deer. Forced to eat deer..._

He bit down on her arm, and Ami shrieked so loud a bunch of birds in nearby trees burst out of hiding and took off into the sky at the sound. She flailed and kicked at him furiously, but his teeth only sank in deeper.

_No, no, NO! Please let me go! I'll try, I promise, just let me go!_

He did actually let go, the blood now pouring down her arm where he had bitten her.

Ami scrambled to her knees after he dropped her, trying to stop the hideous shaking of her body. Trying to ignore the pain of her wounds she reached with trembling fingers and grabbed his cock, guiding it back to her mouth. Goliathus seemed to instantly calm down, still breathing hard in his building bloodlust but watching to see what she would do.

She took the head into her mouth and sucked, trying to massage the rest of the length with her other hand. Goliathus groaned, obviously pleased with this, and started to purr all over again. Ami went on in this fashion, and as his groaning continued she increased the pressure and massaged him more roughly. After several more minutes of this he opened his wings and cried out his orgasm, filling her mouth so much that she coughed and sputtered, pulling back from him.

_Hmm. Much better. _

He finally stepped away, back towards the deer carcasses as if looking for anything he may have missed. Ami spat into the grass several times, then angrily wiped the sides of her mouth with her grungy sleeve, wincing at the soreness of her jaws.

_I...I hate you! _She screamed at him in her mind, still shaking and bleeding from the horrible event.

_So? Should I care, that any human would hate me?_

_You're a fucking sick monster! To have raped me like this and forced yourself on me in such a fashion when I would have willingly done this for you...had you only asked. _Ami drew out the last words, breaking down into sobs.

_Hmph. So you say. But I always take what I want, __**when**__ I want. Not when __**you**__ want._

_I HATE YOU! _She got to her feet, her eyes blazing with fury drowning out her fear in the moment. "I HATE YOU!" She decided to scream it out loud too for good measure.

_Good. Because I hate you just as much. I don't want this pathetic emotion you call love from any human. You are a breeder,and only good for breeding. When I choose. Now I hope this little lesson is over. _He turned, glancing at her and then looking skyward.

_Time to go home._

_I fucking hate you._

_Yes, you made that clear. We're going home. _He walked briskly towards her and grabbed her tightly. _If you kick and fuss too much, I'll drop you in mid-air. Then catch you just before you hit the rocks. We can have fun with that game too, if you'd like._

_You're an asshole._

He chuckled a bit and then lifted himself into the sky with a few mighty wingbeats.

Good, mission accomplished. No more useless babbling and questions from this woman. He wanted her body for breeding, not her feckless emotions. She needed to fear him.

Not love him. _Fear_ him.

/

End chapter 16.

_Sorry for the delay in this chapter, but I lost power for a week due to hurricane Sandy. :/ And if the end of this chapter shocked you, good. That was my intention. ) There's a very good purpose for it though. Try to see the psychological aspects of it. Next chapter coming soon!_


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

/

Ami told no one of the incident on the hill. While Alonus knew something was troubling Ami, she didn't press the issue, even as she helped her to dress up the obvious bite wound on her arm. A few days passed, and Ami remained sullen and withdrawn. She avoided Goliathus like the plague whenever possible, and tried to stay near Alonus or use young Solarus as an excuse to keep clear of him. Trisha still stayed close to Ami, trusting only her, but at least she had a friend to confide in.

Well, Trisha wasn't exactly a friend...Ami wanted to think of her as one, but the woman wanted to leave, to get back home. Alonus however didn't want to let her leave until she promised to give up on her ultimate goal of trying to destroy her son. Again and again she told her the task was impossible, anyhow.

"You could torture him more, but would good would it do you? He is broken already, and the more you break him, the more evil he will become."

Trisha laughed in a mocking tone during one particular conversation. "Become evil? He IS evil."

"No..." Alonus replied, frowning deeply. "...not quite yet. But almost. Please don't help him to get there. You are not understanding my goal, or Ami's."

"Look, let me go the hell home. That's what I want!" She screamed.

"I will release you to your home the moment you promise you will give this up."

Trisha narrowed her eyes. "You're forgetting he murdered my brother. We were as close as two peas in a pod. I can never forgive him for that."

Alonus shook her head, and slowly walked away, thinking Barabas' efforts to persuade the girl may have truly been in vain.

It gave her a sudden, single thought to counter her with. "I know. But did not your brother forgive him? Did not your brother tell you to let this go?"

Trisha went silent.

/

A few more days went by. Alonus discovered a strange new habit in her son. He would come near Ami, standing there as if half-expecting her to just walk over like an obedient dog and follow him into his cave. However, when he saw her jump a little in fear at the sight of him and quickly stalk away to hide in the house or behind Alonus, he would seem as if lost somewhere, turn, and go...walking away from her. It was a sad, troubling behavior. For Ami it made sense. Goliathus had hurt her, she had figured that out. The bite mark had healed but left a rather unflattering scar on Ami's arm. So now, the human woman was afraid of him as if the slight bond they had once shared was completey severed. But for Goliathus...he wasn't so... _angry_ anymore. He seemed only defeated and especially quiet. He sent no mental words to her, so it was impossible to know what he was thinking. Sometimes it seemed he was getting angry and was about to demand something from Ami, but each time he seemed to change his mind.

Alonus decided that the best thing to do was encourage Ami to try talking to him again. She only shook her head fiercely the minute she heard it.

"He'll hurt me again. I hate him. I told you."

"Ami." Alonus looked truly crestfallen. "Don't tell me you've given up. I will never accept my son's miserable treatment of you, but I am hoping to improve your relationship. Not sit here and watch you dissolve it."

"Relationship? You're kidding yourself, Alonus. I'm his breeder, his whore, and that's all he thinks of me. If I didn't have this compatible uterus, he'd just kill me and eat me for dinner." She said these words without looking at the female heradus, drawing random lines in the dirt with a small stick as they sat near the house. Her face was devoid of the usual warmth that Alonus had so liked about her.

"I told you, I'll never let that happen."

Finally Ami looked up at her, and tossed the stick away. "You sure weren't there on the hill that day, and neither was Barabas." She looked at her arm then, brushing her fingers on the scar.

Alonus sighed, and looked to be fighting tears. "You haven't told me what happened there."

"It doesn't matter. You weren't there, were you?" Deep inside, Ami knew this was unfair. Alonus was not a miracle-worker, despite all her powerful abilities. She couldn't possibly be around at every moment, but Ami just wanted to take it out on everyone around her. Sometimes, she _still_ wished she could be back in her little cabin in the woods of New York, and find herself waking from a dream so that all of this would just go away.

"And despite the fact you're here, your son doesn't seem to care. I don't think he cares about anything or anyone, but himself. I mean I always thought that in a sense...but for a while...heh...for a while I thought just maybe he really did have a heart somewhere in there. I was wrong. So wrong." Ami got up to walk to the door of the house, but Alonus got up and gently grabbed her arm, forcing her to turn and look at her.

"My son does not care only about himself. He cares about _nothing_, _even_ himself, because he has fallen into this belief that he is a lost cause. Have you not been watching him these past several days? Whatever happened on that hill...was _not_ a victory for him, Ami. He sees how you run from him now. He wanted your fear, and got it. But you cannot even look at him now without loathing in your eyes. And he doesn't like it."

Ami couldn't believe what Alonus was telling her. It seemed to contradict everything that had happened. "But I thought it's what he wanted?"

"He thought that's what he wanted, yes. But believe me when I tell you, a lot of what he says are lies. He merely uses these emotions to try and control you. But Ami if he really hated you, you would have been dead the first day you met him."

Ami's eyes were growing moist. "WHY then, Alonus? Why? Because I can't take anymore of this abuse!"

"Because he really is insane. Don't you see that? His mind needs incredible healing. He will say he hates you one day, and then seek out your affection the next. He knows not how to love, or how to express it. He only holds onto the pain, torment, and hate that he experienced all those many years ago. Even with me, he tries to hide his feelings. But I know that despite him calling me a fool, or weak, or pathetic that he really is happy that I'm back. However since he knows I will never accept him like this, he pushes me away and tries to block me out so that he can just go on continuing the life he has always known. Even though that life is horribly lonely and full of the hate he cannot let go. THIS is where you come in Ami. A mother's love is not the same as the love of a mate, is this not so? You can get through to him because you have already started to. He is fighting you _so hard_ the more this goes on because he does not want to feel what you are causing him to feel. I am sure it reminds him of Aelia. He did love her...and it was during a time when his mind was more innocent and understanding." Alonus paused briefly and for one moment seemed like she might not go on, but Ami was riveted, quietly staring at her. "With Aelia, he had finally begun to feel some sort of acceptance among humans. She was nervous around him at first, but after meeting me and hearing my stories of our kind, her fascination grew. I don't know how or why she chose to let herself fall in love with him, knowing he was technically her half-brother, but I do know that the feelings she had for him were so strong that it didn't seem to matter to her. Perhaps she felt because he was a different race that it didn't count. Whatever the reason, I could understand. Yes I agreed with Barabas when he told me in his fury that it must stop, and I did sternly tell my son that it must. But I did so only for Barabas. I was worried he was going to turn away from me should I tell him that I truly so no wrong in it. Our ways and understanding of things are different from that of humans. Yet Barabas...deep inside, was still frightened and unsure of the consequences. I know he loved me...but he also secretly feared the thought of our race coming back."

Ami blinked, and spoke in a whisper. "But Alonus...you proved to him by your very existance that your race was good and noble as a whole...Goliathus...despite what happened...he still has to be accountable for his actions."

"Yes..." she replied, tears slowly streaming down her face now. "...but perhaps my love sensed the evil that could lie within us. What can I say to that, Ami? My son, in the end...only proved he was right."

Ami frowned, only feeling an even more confusing mix of emotions. "Alonus..."

She couldn't think of what else to say, but Alonus gave a nod as if resigning herself to her next thought, and wiped the tears away.

"I will admit that perhaps I am seeing you not just as a true friend, but also as a savior of sorts. I want my real son back, of course I do. And I know that you would truly like him that way. " She smiled, and Ami felt the impulsive need to hug Alonus then. It was returned with mutual affection, and thoughts of her own long dead mother flashed through her mind.

"I'm sorry Alonus. I'm so sorry. I'm not going to give up...maybe I was for a while, but...I just got scared. I don't know what to do if he tries to hurt me again."

"He won't. I think he has upset himself with his own actions, and is acting so oddly now. But just remember, there will be times he will suddenly become hostile again and confuse you. These are the times you must use your own instincts to take the right actions. You must not let his ultimate weapon...fear...defeat you." She broke the hug and stepped back, her composure regained. Ami saw that strong glint of determination returned to her deep golden eyes.

It caused her confidence to grow again, and though she still dreaded it...Ami resolved herself to confronting Goliathus once more.

/

After making sure Solarus was fed and tucked into bed that night, Ami dressed warmly for the cold, putting her robe over her clothes, and crept quietly from the house to the cave. Alonus was still awake, but watching the child for her. Ami couldn't help another smile for a fleeting moment, thinking of Alonus and her gentle ways, like an adopted mother.

_She is like a mother to everyone. So understanding and accepting. She may think herself a failure, but I admire the way she can still admit she loves Goliathus despite all he's done. If she can still see the good in him...I can too._

Of course Ami knew she never really wanted to believe he was truly evil, but after what had happened on the hill...the way he mocked her and laughed with utter cruelty in his words...no. She was not going to dwell on it.

It was over and must be forgotten.

Shocking herself with that thought, Ami found herself at the short yet treacherous climb to the entrance. She looked up and could see the flickering light of the fires reflecting off the stones. Closing her eyes for a moment, she forced any fear away and started to climb up carefully.

/

Goliathus was in his back room, mindlessly chewing on a large deer bone. He had not killed any humans in many days, and could not for the life of him figure out why. His thoughts and carnal desires were always on ripping into human flesh, and yet when he was hungry enough, he just went out and slaughtered more of the deer.

With no human remains to work with, he had started to use the deer's remains instead. The bizarre and horrifying sculptures he had come up with were like a nightmarish version of Picaso's paintings, or a taxidermist gone mad, and strewn all about his lair in a haphazard fashion. When he had sucked all of the marrow out of the bone, he tossed it aside and went to his moldy bookcase for the journal, and began writing.

_**When I open my eyes, I am on a dark and desolate road. One that leads to nowhere. I walk one way but the road goes on endlessly and eventually I end up where I started before. I turn and head down the other way, but only find a stone wall blocking my path.**_

He stopped writing, catching a scent on the air.

Ami. It was her.

She was coming to him? Why?

For the first few days after the incident, he had felt smug and satisfied with himself. The woman was clearly traumatized by his savage attack on her and he had felt her hatred build. Better for her to hate him after all, because then he could control her.

Then, he had realized how much he felt...troubled...when she saw him and fear widened her eyes. She'd run away, or hide behind his mother.

Her fiesty nature had always pleased him. From the beginning, she was willing to do whatever it took to survive, even submit to him. But that was also drowned in fascination and admiration of him. Despite all the carnage of the human massacre going on around her, somehow that woman still held to her feelings.

Even pity...was a bizarre emotion. Why would any human pity him? He who killed their kind like animals and used their remains as art to cover his walls?

So now...here it was again. Those feelings and emotions emenating from this woman he could not get out of his mind.

Ami felt like Aelia, from so long ago. But she was even more intense than that. It was something he really could not describe.

But after the rape she had _screamed_ at him of how she hated him. He had felt it, too.

Why now...had that changed?

He decided to stay put, and wait for her.

/

Ami grunted as she neared the top, pulling herself over the ledge and getting to her feet. The cave was more dry at this time of year, thanks to the cold, and the fires gave off a pleasant smoky smell. But there was always the thought of having to see those bodies again.

When Ami stepped inside, she made herself keep moving and went straight back for the "feeding room". Once there she paused and stared at the oddball deer sculptures. She hadn't expected to see that, and it caused her to gape and stare for awhile.

_They do not have expressions like humans. So I tried to be creative._

Ami shook her head and met eyes with Goliathus who was crouched on his old wooden table, etching designs into it with one of his many blades.

For a while, she said nothing. He shifted his position, brushed some of the wood dust off of his latest drawing, then slowly moved off of the table to a standing position.

_So why did you come here? You've been avoiding me._

_You raped me and bit me, in case you forgot. _She hotly replied, although her mental voice was low.

She fully expected Goliathus to give his leering grin or malicious chuckle, but instead he leaned against the table, crossing one taloned foot over the other, and picked at his nails with the tip of the blade.

_Yes. I did._

There was another very long moment of silence between them. Ami walked a few steps closer and sat near a small fire going in the center that he was probably using for light. The smoke traveled up into a very convenient hole in the ceiling but Ami wondered where exactly it ended up outside.

_So. Enjoyed it, did you?_

Goliathus grunted with a snort. He seemed to be having a private battle within, and Ami made sure not to interrupt.

_I did...in the moment._

_What does that mean?_

_I don't now._

_Why? _She eyed him suspiciously.

_Can't say for certain. But I don't._

_Well. You wanted me to fear you more. And I did._

His gaze bored into her own. _You did...but now it seems you do not._

Ami chuckled, just slightly. _Your mother has the gift of persuasion._

He raised an eyebrow, tilting his head slightly. _Mother?_

_Yes. She keeps insisting you have good in you, Goliathus. She comforted me. I know now I can forgive you for what happened on the hill. But I want you to apologize. Can you do that?_

For a moment, Ami knew she could truly feel his emotions when a surge of anger flooded through her. The thought of having to apologize to a human seemed to grate his pride. But rather than snarl or snap at her, he just snorted again.

_I suppose._

_Is that an apology?_

Another long moment of silence.

_I suppose it is._

At these words Ami seemed to melt in front of him. _You really are sorry?_

He blinked, not knowing what to make of her reactions.

_Yes, little mouse. I am. But what difference does it make?_

_It makes a world of difference. _She trembled slightly, so overwhelmed by the way he could make her feel. Just one apology...a true one...had seemed to make the incident on the hill just disappear. Part of her wanted to believe that one apology was not enough for what he'd done, but for Goliathus she knew this was a _milestone._

_Because he's feeling guilty. And if he's feeling guilty, then-_

_Did father ever tell you about Aelia?_

Ami nodded, surprised at the question.

_Did you really love her?_

_I suppose you would call it that._

_Well...I get the impression she really loved you._

_She did. But I could smell her heat. It was what drew me to her._

Ami felt her cheeks flush. _You could sense she was a breeder?_

_Yes. But even more so...she wanted me. She had a great and carnal desire within her, and I saw no reason not to go along with it._

Ami was about to say something, but she felt his thought interrupt and roll into her own as if cancelling it out.

_It was my undoing...and the undoing of my family. I got her pregnant. Somehow I knew father would not be pleased. I think father loved me. But he was afraid. He had a fear of the future. He knew other humans, or at least very few, would ever accept us. I knew this too, and always have. That humans will __**never**__ accept us as a whole. And I still resent them for it._

_Your mother had similar views...so, you think that Barabas wasn't really mad at you because you got her pregnant? _

_Oh he was, but it was also an excuse, to hide his fear. He feared the child growing within her, just as he had with mother before I was born. I am not certain I can understand this. How father could both love and fear us. _He growled lightly.

_When father snapped and killed Aelia, he killed a part of me as well. I saw my own sanity drain out onto the floor with her blood. I felt a sudden cold and evil malice come over me. I felt my hunger increase to a level even stronger than before._

Ami shivered at these words. _That sounds...really weird...you literally felt it? Like some kind of force?_

He thought on this for a few minutes. _Yes. Cold. And what you call nausea. I know that now, but I had not experienced it before. _

_On the hill...it had happened again. A horrible sense of cold and anger. I reacted. I am confused, I want to reach out and rake my claws against your flesh even as I try and apologize to you. In one moment, I want to take you, as your body has been calling out to me. But in the next...I want to merely rip you apart._

His words were truly chilling. _Oh god. Oh god...what if they're wrong, Goliathus? What if you're not insane?_

_But I am. I know that I am. I have been for centuries._

_No...what if you're not? You almost sound...possessed._

_What does this mean? Possessed by whom? No one owns me._

Ami thought on this, trying to figure out how to explain it to him. Then she remembered something Barabas had told her. _Do you remember, in the cathedral? How you liked to paint the angels and other figures you saw your father drawing?_

He nodded.

_There were other figures on the wall, weren't there? Angels...but also demons. The ones that were opposite of angels. The dark, creepy shapes perhaps? Anything like that?_

He searched his memories, and nodded again. _I remember this. Father was a priest. He believed in both heaven and hell. He said angels came from heaven, and demons from hell._

_Right. So being possessed means...a demonic force is invading your mind. It could be that...maybe...maybe it took advantage of you, since you were in such a state of despair over what happened with Aelia! What your father did._

Goliathus went rigid. It seemed he was seriously considering the notion, but then he shrugged.

_And perhaps also...you simply have an overactive imagination. _He chuffed, and walked past her towards the entrance. _I hunger now. I will be back shortly._

Ami nodded, although her own idea was still coursing shivers of an entirely different fear down her spine.

/

The next day, Alonus said she had to go for a few days. She sat outside on the log near the firepit, staring at the sky. Ami looked at her dumbfoundedly. "But how are you going to protect me if you're not here?" Alonus looked over at Goliathus who was once again carving his never-ending art ideas into another bone. He seemed to sense her gaze and locked eyes with her a moment, then went back to his work.

"I think...for a while, you will be fine. It seems the discussion you engaged in had some effect." She smiled, but Ami sighed.

"I'd hardly call it progress-"

"I have to go Ami, to find Dinarius. And also...I promised a friend something."

"Friend?" Ami blinked.

"Yes, Jezelle...the Woman of the Seeing Eyes. She told me she needed time to consider my offer. Now I will find out whether or not she accepted. Her time is running short, one way or the other."

Goliathus glanced up again from his mindless etching. It seemed he was only doing so to keep his mind occupied on something other than his hunger. Most of the time, it seemed to work fairly well. "The blood exchange." He said aloud. Alonus caught the tone in his voice, he obviously didn't agree with this.

"Let the old woman die, mother. It is not your place to intervene."

Ami marvelled at Goliathus speaking like this. Although...she kind of wished he wouldn't. His voice was so deep, raspy, and generally eerie sounding while he slowly drawled out the words that she realized she much preferred his mental sendings.

She shook her head. "You may think so. But we could use her gifts for more positive means...and I could use a human friend who can perhaps even gather _other_ friends. Is it not my goal to to do this? We are trying to live in greater harmony with humans, after all."

"It's _your_ dream mother, and an impossible one." He coughed, clearing his throat. "Not mine."

"You see what eating humans has done?" Alonus said, seeming to ignore his comment. "Your voice is nearly ruined. No wonder you don't speak like this often." She chuffed and clicked her tongue. "You are slowly falling apart like aging leather."

Ami was a bit stunned by this. It never occured to her that some of the reasons Goliathus was the way he was...was due to his diet in a direct fashion.

Goliathus did not respond to this, only stopped speaking. He gave one last narrowed glance and then got up, heading away from them to one of the large boulders he loved to perch upon.

"Ha. He doesn't like when I say things like that." Alonus gave a slight chuckle, then spread her wings to give them a good stretch. "Ami, while I am gone, Barabas will be around. If you are truly in need of him, just call. Otherwise, he will conserve what little energy is left. " For a moment, sadness flashed across her features again. "I will soon lose my Barabas, forever. The bulla's power is gone. He is only hanging on by the energy of the other kind spirits of the cathedral victims who are aiding him."

Ami nodded, understanding. Even after all this time, Alonus remembered every detail of their lives together, and still loved the Roman priest. It made her heart ache right along with hers.

"I know." She gave her a warm smile. "I know. But he isn't going to forget you Alonus anymore then you are him." At that moment she heard Solarus in her mind, bugging to be fed.

"What will happen if Jezelle does accept?" Ami asked as Alonus was nearly about to take off.

"She will heal, and live a lot longer. Her abilities will be heightened. But there is a slight chance she will react badly to the heradus blood, and die."

Ami's eyes went wide. "That's...pretty intense."

"It is. But I offered this because Jezelle is near the end of her life anyhow. The choice is hers." With that, Alonus was gone, high into the air with a few mighty strokes of her midnight-black wings.

Ami had wanted to say more, and ask about Dinarius. Where was she going to find him? Did she even have the slightest clue where he might be?

_So we are alone again._

Ami turned around and saw Goliathus eying her from his perch.

_Not really. There's Solarus...and Trisha. And let's not forget your father. _She hoped that last reminder would dissuade him from any hints of violence towards her.

_Relax little mouse. I am not playing Creeper today._

Ami tightened the cloth belt around her robe and walked towards him, coming up to the right side of the huge boulder and lifting her chin. _Well, isn't that just comforting. You're like Jekyl and Hyde. At any point you just might decide to play that game after all._

_Not today. _He put down whatever pointless thing he was tinkering around with and met her gaze. The icy blue of his eyes seemed entirely more normal lately...not so..._cold_.

_You have been ready, for a long time. _His eyes were still focused on her.

_What are you going on about?_

_For another child, of course._

Incredulousness swept through her. He could not be serious.

_And let me guess...you are going to force your little breeder to do it again, one way or the other._

He slowly slid off the rock, and Ami took several small steps backwards.

_No. _He folded his arms. _I have seen what happens, when you feel your will is no longer your own in every sense. You withdraw from me. You hide as a rabbit who has sniffed out the stoat. _

She quirked an eyebrow at him, then smirked ever so slightly. _You didn't like that?_

_No._

_Why...exactly? Isn't fear what you live on?_

_Fear is the drug. It controls me like a drug. I would not call it "living"._

_You are so damned confusing Goliathus. _She slumped into a sitting position on the ground.

After a few moments of silence, he reached down, brushing clawed fingernails against her shoulder. The sensation coursed raw jolts down her side, igniting a spark of desire. Good lord, but how did he have such an effect on her?

_Your scent is also like a drug. Drawing me to you. _His rumbling purr started to vibrate through his chest, and Ami swore she could feel it through the ground.

She thought of what he said about Aelia...how he could _smell her heat_, as he put it. There was no doubt in her mind that in this very moment _she_ must be in heat, and he was picking up on it. But Ami inwardly wished she could hide it from him. Where was her most private thoughts or bodily functions with this creature? He sensed _everything_ about her, like she was a secret journal with embarassing confessions laid open for all to see and read, and she could do nothing about it.

Pursing her lips and turning her eyes away, Ami tried to ignore the feelings that were coursing through her.

_Knock it off, will you. I'm hardly in the mood. _

He chuckled dryly. _ A falsehood._

_Oh, would you shut up already? I hate that I have no privacy with you. You know what? _She thought, slightly peeved, and turned her eyes back on him. _Howabout you teach me how to block people out of my mind, like you do with your mother sometimes?_

He snorted. _Why would I do that?_

_Because you're like an invasion of buzzing mosquitoes in my head. I swat at them only to find there are more and more, gossiping about every thought and feeling in my brain. That's __**why**_.

He didn't argue the issue further as she expected he might, but rather gave a vague explanation.

_It is about visuals...mental imagery if you will._

_You mean like imagining a brick wall around yourself?_

_Yes...something like that._

_Ok. I can do that._

He climbed back onto his rock. _Of course it will take time for you to master it. Not necessarily easy._

_Doesn't matter. If it will keep you from snooping around in my head then I'm going to practice every day until it works. _Huffing she got up and tried to pull herself up the huge boulder next to him, but kept slipping down. After the third try when she was just about to give up, he grabbed her arm and hoisted her up. A bit startled she blinked at him, nervous now because she was so close and pressed up against his side.

_So you do want to be near me?_

Ami hung her head low, averting her eyes. _Promise me you'll never do that again...what happened on the hill. I can't take anymore of this psychic abuse Goliathus. I know you struggle in your own mind, but if I have a constant fear you might snap one day and kill me, I can't ever know I can really trust you._

He grumbled, and did not reply.

_Why do you like to be up here? _She said, putting her hands in her pockets as there was still a bit of chill in the air.

_High places. _He answered. _The sky is our true home._

_I do like to fly with you. When it's not for days on end or in fear you'll drop me._

He grumbled again, and Ami couldn't help but smirk.

_Not one for admitting things, are you?_

_Must you always talk so much, and ask so many questions?_

Ami chuckled, and was inadvertently leaning into his side more.

_It's just the way I am. You may not like conversation but I do, and I can't help but be curious about things._

After a long stretch of silence, Ami figured the conversation was over anyhow.

_Well, I best go see if Solarus needs anything. He's sleeping-_

_Leave him. Stay here. _An arm had come around her, holding her close. Like a vice, she found she couldn't move and her anxiety grew. She didn't want this nice moment to turn bad, although his tone had not indicated he was angry.

_What? _ Ami kept her eyes on the ground, afraid to meet his gaze.

_I told you, little mouse. _Purring again, he leaned in close to her neck, drawing in her scent. Ami shivered, not sure what to do. Should she just give into him, despite what he'd done? She felt he needed to learn he couldn't always have his way, and that she would not let him rule her with fear, like Alonus had insisted. But while that was all well and good, he was a dangerous creature, and getting him mad was something she hoped to avoid like the plague.

_Goliathus..._

He moved in closer, grabbing her more tightly and his tongue darting out to taste the sweat starting to bead on her face and neck.

_You're only making me nervous._

One clawed hand travelled down to her waist, and he reached into her pants, seeking her entrance with his fingers.

Ami sucked in her breath, her whole body trembling. He started to move those fingers inside her, causing a flush of hot lust to build within her very core. But he was still making her nervous, with one slight change of his maneuvering he could be cutting her from the inside.

_No! Knock it off, would you? _She managed to break the contact, pushing him away. He grunted, but stopped. After another uncomfortable bout of silence he hopped off the rock.

_I see now much of this is my fault._

_But I-_

_You're afraid. Much more than you were before. I have surely succeeded in that._

Ami took a deep breath. Of course that was true.

_And has not it been said, 'Be careful what you wish for?'_

He walked away off into the woods, leaving her there with desire still coursing through her veins.

/

"I admit. I thought about it every day since you left." Jezelle was sitting in her chair, at home. She had stayed there and not returned to the nursing home facility. They had called, but she insisted on not leaving, and truth be told, they couldn't force her to stay there after all.

"You seem worse." Alonus frowned. Her arms were folded and she was leaning on the doorframe in the living room.

"I'm having...trouble breathing now. I know I should have called the hospital, but-"

"Tell me what you want, old woman. If you wish to die, I surely will not intervene. But..." She sighed. "I see you as a friend. I would hope you'd make the other choice."

Jezelle gazed around her house for a while, her eyes moistening. "You know I think back all those years to when I was trying to help the Jenners. Poor Darry. He was so young. Never deserved an end like that." She looked at Alonus, shaking her head every so slightly. "I felt like a failure, too. I still do, even now."

Alonus waited, staring at her.

"I thought maybe my gifts _could_ be used to make a difference. But momma Alonus it did nothing. Don't you see? It did _nothing_. How, in the end, am I going to be of any use to you?"

"A human friend." She said softly. "Gifts or no...I would want you around for that reason. At the very least, you could perhaps persaude other humans to trust us."

Jezelle sighed. "Alonus honey...you know that's impossible. It just ain't gonna happen, cause we humans can never truly accept somethin' so different than us. So much more _powerful_ than us."

"You sound like my son. It's not so impossible, old woman. I've seen it before. I told Ami of the stories of heradus males...with harems of female women."

Raising a brow Jezelle gave a weak chuckle. "My goodness. Well...that was many, many years ago, wasn't it? An entirely different time, and people with a different way of thinking. It just ain't gonna happen in today's world."

Alonus went to counter, but Jezelle spoke first. "Your race is nearly gone. And why do you think that is? Alonus I wouldn't trust humans at all. Yes you may find a rare soul or two...like Ami...like myself I guess...but even _Barabas_ snapped, and killed his daughter because a heradus child was growing in her belly! That's the real reason, and you know it! Huh..." she sank back more heavily into her chair, taking a few deep breaths as she gazed out the window. "...that poor priest. He regrets, but there's no undoing what he did." She fixed her eyes back on Alonus. "There's no undoing what Goliathus did, either." It was spoken low, but Alonus sank to her knees. "I _will_ change this! I _will fix him!_" she sobbed, and Jezelle clucked her tongue, struggling to get up from her seat. "Oh chile, oh chile I didn't quite mean it that way...now now, don't you go gettin' all upset..." She shuffled over, slow, weak, and tired, but somehow managed to kneel down beside her and pat her on the shoulder.

Alonus only continued to sob. After so many endless years, the emotions had finally spilled over and Jezelle could only feel guilty at having triggered it.

_I'm so sorry. I'm not trying to say it was all you fault. I just said it can't be undone._

_No...no I can't change the past. But I am trying to protect the future. It is one reason I am so desperate to find Dinarius. If I can, he can help me for sure. Not just to watch over Ami, but also to show Goliathus the right way._

_Why not you? You're his mother._

Alonus shook her head. _We only end up arguing. Even coming to vicious blows. He feels far too much guilt around me __**because**__ I am his mother. He needs a more neutral standpoint...if you will._

_Dinarius has never eaten humans?_

Her eyes widened. _No. _A sudden memory crossed her mind, and she smirked slightly, the crying stopped. _But he did have a taste for dogs. I remember it annoyed our human friends from long ago, when their pets would always go missing._

Jezelle said nothing for a while, then she laughed...for a good several minutes, Alonus joining her.

_Thank God I don't have a dog. I'm more of a cat person! _Still chuckling she painfully moved from her knees to a sitting position. _Well Alonus. My my my._

_Have you made up your mind then?_

"It _is_ nice to have a true friend." She said out loud, and smiled.

/

After having fed Solarus his lunch and made sure he was all right, she gave him some puzzles to play with and then went to see Trisha on the top floor of the house. She walked into the room and saw her reading a book.

"So where is he?" Trisha asked, before Ami could say anything.

"He's gone into the woods somewhere. Probably looking for more deer." She pulled up a chair to sit next to Trisha who put the book down.

"I need to go follow him, and talk to him some more. Something is happening, and it's too important to just leave him alone yet."

Trisha furrowed her brow as if confused, then stared at her intently. "What happened on that hill, huh? I saw that wound on your arm."

"He got a little carried away. It's just a flesh wound, and it healed."

"Mm-hm. Doesn't explain much about the bruising around your mouth I noticed for a few days."

Ami shuddered inwardly, trying not to think too much about that part. "Like I said, he got a little carried away. But he has a damaged mind."

"So...you still want to talk to that monster even after he did that to you?"

"I have no choice really."

"Are you kidding me? You DO have a choice. Why do you keep doing this, Ami? That freak mother of his told me she'd keep him away from you, if you really wanted. You're not his slave anymore."

Ami sighed, and scratched the back of her neck. "Well...it's because I love him. I thought you understood that by now."

The look that came across the other woman's features made Ami suddenly feel very uncomfortable. "What the hell is wrong with you?" She said in a very hushed voice. "How can you say that about such a disgusting, ugly monster?"

It was hard to know how to respond to Trisha, who clearly had a whole different set of eyes when it came to her views of these creatures. But to call him a disgusting, ugly monster? Did she think that about Alonus too, who Ami thought was beautiful beyond words?

"You only hate them because of what happened to your brother."

"Yes well excuse me. I know it's so weird that like I'm actually a little, ya know...peeved that my brother is dead, and by that freakish nightmare you say you're in love with." She sarcastically replied. The chair scraped along the floor noisily as she shot up to her feet, shoving it against the wall.

Trying not to get angry with the obviously emotionally unstable woman, Ami put her chin in her hands, resting her elbows on her knees. "I know it's hard, Trisha. I know I'll never learn to heal him if I can't put away all of my own fears and doubts."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It means you will have to do the same, if you ever want the pain of your brother's death to go away, and for you to be able to move on. It's been over two decades now."

"And you know what I did, during all that time?" She asked, shaking a finger in her direction. "I worked my ass off to get the best education and degrees I could muster. I planned and planned carefully for years, living like a pauper at times, to slowly build my wealth. I gained friends in high places. Those men you saw helping me are victims too, you know that? They lost a wife, a daughter, a son. To that _fucking_ hideous demon you are sitting here and telling me you care about. What did you do all that time when you were with him, Ami? Did he rape you? Or were you indeed like a little whore, letting that monster fuck you whenever he wanted, while you moaned and writhed under him like a bitch in heat? Are you getting off on seeing him eat humans? Are you going to start joining him, too?"

"_Shut up_!" Ami leapt to her feet and struck the other woman hard across the face. Trisha reeled back, almost losing her balance, but steadied herself with one hand on the wall. A bit of blood seeped from her lower lip.

"Well damn. Truth hurts, don't it?"

"It's not the truth, you stupid idiot! Of course I'm not going to start eating humans! And stop calling Goliathus a monster and a _freak!_" She raised an arm again as if she would strike her once more, but thought better of it. "And his mother...she's never harmed a human in her life. She's hurt deep inside, and trying to help her son whose actions she blames herself for. You don't even _know_ the pain she suffers, or what I had to go through to get her back here! Everything anyone tries to tell you, even the spirit of your own _brother_, goes in one ear and out the other! You know whose a freak and a monster, you are! You captured Goliathus so you could slowly torture and maim him! He's been through that before, and you know what it did? You know who turned him into a killer? People like _**you**_! People like you who tortured his mother before his very eyes, who hated him just because he looked different, who never accepted him! We humans created the Creeper. WE did."

The room went silent. Trisha stared at her with a stoic expression, while she stood there with her hand pressed against her lip.

Ami had her fists clutched tightly against her sides. "And now, Patricia Jenner, we have to fix this problem that we created. Not make it worse."

With that, she quickly exited the room, brushing past her.

/

Ami wanted to find Goliathus to be alone with him, but she couldn't risk leaving Solarus alone with that woman, she she took him with her. Before she left the house she grabbed a small duffel bag with some supplies, just in case, and made sure little Solarus had his hoodie on. Then she left, looking over her shoulder once at the upper windows and shook her head before walking briskly down the rough forest path.

_Where we going, momma? _

Ami smiled, at last her son was getting it right. _To find your father._

_Ohhh... _he pouted. _But last time, dadda was angry. I no like him._

_It will be all right. Dadda is just confused. He doesn't really want to hurt momma._

_Hm. _Solarus' lower lip jutted out. _Dadda doesn't like Sollie._

Ami stopped in her tracks, looking down into his eyes as she held him. _That isn't true._

_No, true. Dadda say I too weak. _

_He just says that because you won't hurt humans. He doesn't mean that though. In truth, you're the strong one, and __**he's**__ the weak one, Solarus._

His pout disappeared, to be replaced by an adorable, toothy smile. _I luv you, momma._

Ami giggled, hugging him close and continuing down the path. _And you are my sun in my sky, little baby._

After about an hour, Ami had still not found Goliathus. She had been mentally calling as well, but he wasn't answering. Growing slightly alarmed, she decided to stop for a while and have a snack, while thinking out her next action. Where could he be? There were plenty of deer all around. Something was just odd.

_Oh, momma. Granddaddy say something about the pond. _He said suddenly, while taking her offer of some dried fish rather happily.

_Pond? Are you talking about Barabas? _Ami wondered why she couldn't hear him. Was Solarus more mentally sensitive than her...like a radio with better reception?

He scrunched up his little face in confusion. _He say, daddy is by a pond, and just standing there. _

Ami blinked, just as confused as he was. Why in the world would he be standing by a pond, and doing nothing?

_Which way do we go?_

_That way, momma! _Solarus pointed to their right. Going off the path could get them lost, but she had to find him.

_All right, let's go then._

_/_

_End chapter 17 - Reviews and more reviews, pretty please. :)_


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

/

Ami traveled through the forest, following her son's direction. The trees were dense, and the daylight growing dim, but she kept moving.

_Momma. See him, by pond._

Stopping in her tracks, Ami saw him too, standing near the pond just as Barabas had said. For a while, her eyes were fixed on him, feeling a mix of emotions...sadness, affection, lingering confusion. Then she glanced to his right, and sucked in a sharp breath.

Bodies. Many of them.

They were in a pile, stacked haphazardly, and yet...

_Goliathus?_

He shifted slightly, gazing over his left shoulder.

_Again you follow me._

_What in the hell...?_

Solarus squirmed. _Bad. Bad, dadda._

Goliathus seemed to pay his son no mind. He was focused back onto the water, which was still as the evening air.

Ami's heart sank...it had been quite some time. There was actually hope that he was changing. But the sight of these bodies made it clear that not much had changed at all.

Still, she took hesitant steps closer, mustering up all her courage once again. As they neared, Solarus scrunched his face at the smell of the dead humans.

_What are you doing?_

_Looking._

_At what?_

He kept his gaze solidly locked onto the water, and barely moved. _At myself._

_Well...why?_

_I am trying to see what looks back. You mentioned a demon._

Ami blinked at him, at a loss. _I said it was a possibility yes, but...I don't think you can __**see**__ it, Goliathus. If...it's there._

_Oh but it can be seen. Many a human has called me such. Am I the face of a demon?_

She looked down at the water's surface, seeing the reflection of her own different, weathered face.

_No. You are not. It would be in your mind, Goliathus. _

He finally turned to look at her. _I suppose you are right. _

_Why did you do this?_

He slowly turned to his right. _Hunger, I suppose._

_You need to stop doing that._

He snorted loudly. _Why should I? _

_You are going to stop._

Eyes narrowed now, she saw his fingers flexing, and the claws of his feet digging into the ground.

_You will command nothing from me._

_No, I can't force you to do anything. But I sure as hell can refuse to accept what you do._

His anger was rising, she could feel it...but she held her ground. Solarus fidgeted once more.

_I no accept either!_

Goliathus locked eyes with Solarus, who stared back defiantly.

_I no eat humans, dadda. Never. Momma is human. Sollie loves momma!_

He snorted in disdain, but despite this, his eyes showed differently. _You will see, Solarus. How humans will betray you._

_Goliathus, stop it! Don't say things like that to him! _

_Why not? It is true._

_Listen...you keep your opinions and experiences to yourself. Solarus does not have to know about it. Nor will you train him to hunt humans. This is something you're going to have to accept, sooner or later. Solarus will __**not**__ be like you. _Ami held her gaze, even as he stared icily back at her. It was ever so **hard** to challenge Goliathus, without ultimate fear gripping one's very soul. And yet...she felt her own strong feelings on the matter strengthening her courage against him.

_This is because you have ruined him...spoiled him even._

_No, it's because he's not like you. And neither is your mother. Don't you see it? This isn't normal behavior, even for your kind. You have to break free of this addiction. _But even as Ami thought the words, deep in her own mind, she knew this was a nearly impossible task.

_I think we are done talking. _He crouched low, staring more closely at the reflections in the water.

_No. We're not. What are you going to do with those bodies? _Ami tried not to look at them. It was a wonder she could somehow keep her sanity on a very thin thread when seeing this horrible massacre he performed time and time again.

He made no reply. Ami grew angry very fast, she hated when he just stopped conversations and refused to respond.

_What are you going to do? _She repeated, this time more loudly.

When he still didn't answer, she came up with one herself. _All right. Then what you're going to do is burn them. Give them a proper cremation, at least. Do you know how many souls wander this Earth, because of you?_

_Burn them? _He stood finally, and loomed before her as if ready to strike at any moment. There were just some situations in which the fear could not be held back. Her heart began to race madly, but somehow she didn't bolt.

_Yes. That's what I said._

He turned to gaze at them a brief time. _And waste perfectly good meat?_

_Goliathus they're not __**meat**__! They're people with lives and families that you've now destroyed. _Ami shook her head, thinking she may have just as well been mentally chiding an iron wall wrapped in thick chains. Nothing seemed to sink in, no matter what she tried.

Then a sudden thought came to her mind.

_Lives you've ruined...think about it. You said humans ruined yours, destroyed your family. And yet you've done this back to us more times than anyone can count. How then, are you any better than them?_

Goliathus chuckled, sounding old, dry, and worn. _Such logic you have Ami. You see I do not care. That is the thing. I just don't care like you do. I don't value myself, so I have no reason to feel guilty. It is a temporary, fleeting moment of satisfaction to kill humans, that I will admit, but there are plenty of your kind, aren't there? I see no reason to stop. It is at least...__**something**__ to my existence._

He paused, and with a great sigh closed his eyes for one moment.

_But if you want to burn them...to give them a __**proper**__ end... _he snorted. _Then go right ahead. I will simply find more._

The wings on his back twitched, but Ami quickly stepped forward.

_Don't you go anywhere._

He grinned in a most unpleasant fashion. _You will stop me? This should be amusing. _His grin turned a little more sinister. _Unless, of course...you've changed your mind about our previous encounter._

_Sorry but a malicious grin and your bad mood aren't exactly what I'd call a turn on for me._

He laughed loudly, and Ami was always amazed to realize she seemed to be the only one that could elicit such humor from him, no matter how twisted it might be.

_Then we have nothing further to talk of, do we? I'm starving, and must do something about it._

Ami gave him a steely gaze. _It's called deer._

He shook his head. _I have told you, and mother, that deer are tasteless. _He frowned. _And boring forms of art._

_I uhm...thought that was rather creative, actually. What you did there...in the cave._

He grinned again, but it was short-lived. _There is no stopping me, Ami. You are only merely delaying the inevitable._

Ami desperately searched her mind for something, **anything. ** She couldn't give up.

_Then just...what about me? Wouldn't you at least try and stop for me?_

Her feeble, mental pleading seemed to quiet Goliathus. He went stoic and merely stared at her.

_Because...__**I**__ value you, Goliathus. I do. Maybe if you truly realized that someone does care..._

She looked up at him, but he stood silently blinking at her.

Solarus, who had been quietly listening the entire time, had simply cuddled up close against his mother's side. Occassionally, he glanced back at his father.

_You...lie. _He grimaced, and seemed anxious to fly off somewhere.

_No! I don't. _

_Oh yes. You said before on the hill, how you hated me. The true feelings came out then, didn't they? It is for fear of your life that you try and appease me, as is the case with all I have captured. Do you not think women have pleaded with me before?_

_On the HILL, Goliathus...and I've stressed this before...you __**attacked**__ me. Fear and heartache caused me to say those things! But I don't really mean them, or I wouldn't be here right now, tracking you down and risking everything, now would I? _

She was yelling, and tried to force her breathing to calm down.

After a long silence, he looked back at the dead humans, snorted again, and took off before Ami could say anything more, gusting such a mad wind over her that she nearly lost her balance.

/

Jezelle's dreams were very strange. In one particular vision, she saw herself sitting on her couch, staring out of her opened front door, and seeing many faces peering in. Darry was among them, and seemed to be jostling about, as if trying to get to the front with a message. But in the next moment, he was simply gone. Then Billy, the farmer's young son, peered in, trying to get past the taller, more numerous adults. Jezelle wondered who they were, she didn't recognize many of them. They seemed...very distraught.

_I have an infant daughter, what will she do without me?_

_Why did he take me from my husband?_

_My liver...he took my liver! _This one, young teenager she noticed raked his fingers across his lower abdomen, making the psychic cringe. She tried to drown them out, but they only seemed to grow more numerous and their voices rose to a painfully loud crescendo.

Then the vision shifted, to the most vivid one yet. She was in the woods. The sky was inky black and yet the full moon shone like an ominous beacon. She heard animal sounds like panting, heard feet padding through the leaves, crunching in the still night air. And then howls. Many, many howls. She saw them coming, at least twenty of them.

Wolves. Sleek and silver of varying shades. A particularly dark one seemed to suddenly notice her, and he howled up at the moon long and loud.

Then they suddenly ran, coming straight for her. Closer, and closer still...

Jezelle screamed, and she shot up to a sitting position, opening her eyes and looking around frantically although her vision had not yet cleared. Someone was holding her, trying to comfort her in the most pleasant, soothing voice she'd ever heard.

_It's all right, Jezelle. It's over._

She knew that voice. So reassuring-

_All over. You made it._

Finally her blurred vision cleared, and it was Alonus that held her like a child.

_For a time, I thought you might not pull through. Your mortal body was very weak. But here you are._

There was a very strong undertone of satisfaction and perhaps a little pride in Alonus' words. Jezelle blinked at her for a time and then shook her head slowly.

"Alonus...I had the strangest vision..."

"Really?" She cocked her head. "Tell me of it. What you see is quite important. It has a meaning, of this I am sure."

"Well..." Jezelle sighed, scratching the back of her head, and noticing the hair felt much softer. "The spirits...of the dead...that one I've seen before, they come to me and ask me why...because I'm one of very few that can help them. I'm not sure there's much to that one, although Darry wanted to say something, and then Billy tried to do it for him when he lost his energy and disappeared."

Alonus just nodded, silently urging her to go on.

"But then...suddenly I was in the woods...and it was so dark and strange...there were big mountains to the left, and a deep forest to go with it. I was in a clearing...where I don't know...and then...wolves. Many of them. About twenty I'd guess. They had a silver shine to their fur that I've never seen before." She stared off into space as she retold the vision. "There was this darker, larger one, and suddenly they all came running at me, howling..." She shivered, clearing the vision from her mind and looking back at Alonus.

"What do you make of that?"

Alonus' eyes widened. "Dinarius..." she breathed.

"Huh?"

"My nephew." She continued to speak quietly. "Those wolves...they are, not normal wolves, of course."

"Don't tell me there is such thing as werewolves, now, honey-"

"No..." Alonus chuckled. "...but there are animal familiars. I had one once...a black cat of all things. But it was a poorly designed creature, and soon perished. They need to be in Rings, like the wolves. They could live on forever if that is the case...much like we do."

Jezelle blinked, still clearly confused. "Chile...you ain't makin' one lick a sense."

"Yes, I know. To you it would sound like an imagined story...a fairytale. But in my time, so many years ago...this world held more oddities than it does even now, Jezelle. But the Ring of the Full Moon...those are Dinarius' familiars." Her voice softened. "It is a message...from him perhaps...or the wolves are even trying to help me find him." She smiled. "They are using you as a way to communicate."

"Where in the world do these Rings come from? Who creates them?"

Alonus stood, taking Jezelle with her. At once, she noticed her limbs didn't hurt anymore, and her breathing was strong and steady.

"Oh my...I feel...like I did when I was just a little girl!"

"Yes...you are quite well now. And looking younger, I'd say."

At those words, Jezelle pulled away and took a few strides over to her large mirror above the hearth. What stared back at her was a young black woman with flawless skin and vivid, doe-brown eyes. As if...she were twenty years old all over again. Her now too-big clothes hung comically over her shoulders like a kid playing dress-up. For quite some time, she stared at herself as her eyes grew moist, hardly believing what she was seeing.

Alonus smiled again, understanding perfectly of what she was feeling.

"I'm happy the Blood Exchange worked. But there is little time to relish in it, my new friend. We must see about those wolves."

"We?" Jezelle finally turned away from the mirror. "I gotta come with you on this crazy search?"

Alonus nodded. "I will need your gifts, which are more powerful than ever now...to help me locate them."

"All right chile...if you insist. But answer my question, who created those Rings you spoke of?"

"That is a long story for another time, Jezelle. I promise you though...one day it will be told."

She sighed and looked back at the mirror for a moment. "Well...can't argue with tiredness or old age now, can I? Guess I'm stuck with you."

Alonus laughed.

/

Ami had trekked her way back to the house, mumbling under her breath. She had tried everything, and apparently had failed...again.

_Solarus are you hungry? _She nuzzled him as she headed up the pathway and into the little brick home. It was incredibly silent, which instantly worried her.

_A little, momma. Mean woman is not here!_

Ami nodded. _I was afraid of that. But where will she go? This place is as remote as it gets. Has your grandfather told you anything?_

Solarus puckered his lips and then grimaced, as if trying to force open a mental doorway. _She took your food, and water, granddaddy say. She try to escape, find town._

Ami felt a surge of irritation. _Great, just great._

She thought about going after her, but why should she? Trisha was as stubborn as a bull, and would probably only run at the sight of her, refusing to be brought back.

Although she hardly expected any reply whatsoever, she called out to Goliathus.

_She's left, you know. Trying to escape._

A wash of great irritation came over her. _So? Nature and the elements will kill her. If she wants to be stupid, why should I care?_

Truly surprised at the response, Ami sat down slowly on the log chair in front of the house.

_I guess...you really have no reason to. But could you go get her, so that she doesn't get hurt? Listen, I don't care for her much either...but Trisha really can't be blamed for her actions...she's not just going to stay here by her own free will-_

_If I go and get her Ami, then I will kill and devour her, as I should have done many years ago. That bitch is not worth the trouble her and her brother gave me._

Ami took a deep breath, cradling her head in her hands. These malicious responses were getting all too common, although she knew by now most were just fear tactics.

_Please. Please go and find her._

_Oh? You want me to kill her? _In her mind, there was a derisive snort.

_No. I want you to bring her back here. Please, can you do that?_

A growl. _You women. Always wanting something. Begging and pleading to get your way._

_GOLIATHUS, PLEASE._

She thought she heard another snort, or was it a chuckle? It seemed he faded from her mind then, and she wondered if he was going to comply or not.

For a time there was silence. Then Ami felt a rather bizarre sensation, and his next statement echoed loudly in her mind rather eerily, as if he were **very** close.

_All right, little mouse. I'll go fetch her for you. But I'll have __**fun**__ with her first._

With that response, Ami regretted talking to him at all. What had she been thinking?

Nature and the elements. They were certainly a far better fate than what Ami feared she had just brought upon Patricia Jenner.

/

The Taggarts had been lying low, since the incident at the Facility had nearly cost Jack Sr. his life. But for right now, this wasn't what the farmer had been worried about. He sat in his wheelchair, cringing from time to time from the pain in his injured back. Looking around the barn, he found his eyes kept wandering to the spot where the Creeper had once hung like a shriveled up ornament.

'Jackie! Jackie! _Jack-eeee!_'

Taggart shook his head, trying to drown out the terrible memory of his son Billy screaming for his brother. It still haunted him, even now, like it had just happened yesterday.

And that was the thing...Jackie. He had acted so strange in the Facility...like he hadn't _wanted _to go after the Creeper anymore. But why? How could he not? How could he not want to kill the monster that killed Billy?

"Dad?"

Jackie's voice snapped him out of his train of thought, and he wearily looked over to him, his hands still clutching his makeshift harpoon.

"What the hell you doing in here? You're supposed to be in bed, resting." Jackie stood by the barn door with his arms folded, but there was a strong glint of concern in his eyes. "And with that stupid harpoon?"

"This _stupid_ harpoon brought the Creeper down, didn't it?" Jack lovingly stroked the dusty metal as if it had been one of his plane models he made as a child. "Still got his cursed knife in it, too. That bastard ever comes back here, I'll make him regret it. You watch."

Jackie sighed, running a hand slowly through his brown hair. "Dad, come on. You promised you were going to get some rest, your back still isn't healed yet."

"You heard what I said, boy? I have to be on watch."

The fact his father still called him _boy_ bristled Jackie. He was well over forty. He took a breath as if to say something else, but instead just shook his head and gave up.

"Fine, do what you want. Apparently, what I think doesn't matter." He muttered this under his breath as he walked away, but his father heard him, turning his gaze towards him once more and calling out to him.

"Remember what he did to Billy, Jackie. Remember."

Remember. That's all he _could_ remember, because his father just wouldn't let him forget.

It was also why he could never have a life of his own, and here he was, still unmarried and miserable. But no his father could never see that, because his obsession with the Creeper consumed him.

Yet Jack was his dad. And he felt like he would be betraying the old man...and Billy... if he didn't stay with him.

Sighing more heavily, Jackie just shook his head and continued on back to the house.

In the background behind the old farmer, the ghost of Billy waved frantically and called out, his mouth moving but no sound coming out. Neither of them saw him.

/

Goliathus hunted for Patricia Jenner. After all, that was what his breeder had asked of him. And why shouldn't he fulfill her request? After all, he was more than a little irritated that she had interrupted his meal.

_'Burn them, and give them a proper burial at least._

_Please, please go and find her.'_

He huffed and banked to his right, the land below him rising and falling as if it rested on the waves of an ocean. What did that woman think he would do? If he was going to find her, then he was going to do it _his_ way. She asked for it, after all.

He caught a faint scent on the air, and scanned the ground below. A single, lone human was slowly making its way up a steep hill that crested near some pine trees. He silently descended a little, to get a closer look, and grinned widely.

There she was. With a little pack of supplies and everything.

_Determined yes. But stupid and foolish. You didn't think I would find you, or that you'd be more at risk all alone?_

He wasn't really aiming the words at her, but Trisha seemed to halt in her tracks, and look around. And then he knew she saw him, because she suddenly bolted as fast as she could into the cover of the thick pines, and he could smell the fear rising on the wind.

_Heh._

He did a dramatic swoop downwards, and moments before he would collide with the ground, jerked his wings open and like a parachute soared the rest of the way. Once his claws struck the earth, he snorted in amusement.

_You make it far too fun. A game of cat and mouse._

He stood for a while and listened. She had stopped running, and was probably now hiding, trying to be as quiet as possible. But her fear was plenty strong, and led him just as easily as if she had been yelling out her location.

But Goliathus wasn't going to kill her like everyone thought he was, oh no. For some time, he had recognized the very different scent she held...quite faint...but there. It reminded him of Ami, and caused his lust to grow just at the thought of it.

He decided to play it cool, at first. For a while he wandered about, sniffing the air and acting as if he had no clue where she was. He kept moving, heading in her direction after all, but hoping she wouldn't notice.

Trisha had been hiding in a small animal den she had crammed herself into, hoping the scent of bear or whatever else had been hibernating here would overpower her own scent. For right now, her heart hammered dangerously in her chest. She had been going along so well and then...there he was. Like a nightmarish vision from the worst horror movie imaginable, he had come swooping down towards her, claws outstretched and those massive wings outspread. Bolting seemed like a foolish thing to do, for it would surely only excite his bloodlust. But what else could she do? Just stand there like a sitting duck, waiting to get plucked off like a fish in the talons of an eagle?

Trisha fought to quiet her hard breathing, but she could hear him getting closer. He seemed to be having trouble finding her though, so she had to force herself to be quiet so as not to give herself away. She shut her eyes and just prayed.

Ah she was close now. Quite close. Goliathus kept playing the act, but at any moment he would just suddenly turn and roar, hoping to elicit the highest level of fear from her. That would, in turn, make that other luscious scent stronger, and his cock throbbed as his lust grew. What better way to have revenge on Trisha for torturing him, then to turn her into another breeder?

He knew Alonus would give him a heap of trouble for this, but at the moment he truly didn't care.

When he got only a few yards from his hiding spot, his muscles tensed, ready to strike. But then suddenly, there was a bright flash of light in his eyes, and his father's angry stare.

_**No, son! Don't do this!**_

_Leave me alone, priest. _He responded rather calmly, and this seemed to only disturb his father more.

_**Don't.**_

_Are you going to waste your precious remaining energy to stop me, father? I would think you'd want to save that for Ami, hm?_

_**Think about what you are doing!**_

_I AM. I am thinking about how there will be yet another breeder, to bring yet more heradus back to this earth. Is that not what mother wants? _

_**No! No, not like that! You-**_

Goliathus lifted his head spines slightly, growling...and tried to make his father go away by sheer force of mental will. It was a rather surprisingly difficult thing at first, but it seemed Barabas was truly growing weaker by the day. In another bright flash, he was gone, as if not having been there at all.

With a satisfied grunt, Goliathus went quiet and still for one long moment, now mere feet from the den. Then he suddenly stared at the spot and roared as loud as he could.

Trisha screamed, not able to control herself. He reached in and grabbed her, and she fought and kicked at him with every bit of strength she could muster.

He held her tight, and wanted to fly off to his cave with her...but found his lust rooted him to his spot.

He was going to take her, here and _now._

The ultimate expression of horror on Trisha's face didn't take long as he ripped off her pants. Her eyes had gone unnaturally wide, and she could not find any words. Instead she just screamed and screamed, growing more hoarse by the second.

The instant her nether regions were exposed, the scent intensified, heightened by her fear, just like he knew it would. He sniffed her for a good long time, until his member was rock hard. Throwing her to the ground, he held her down and thrust himself inside her.

Trisha immediately reacted by reaching forward and biting down on his nose so hard she tore the tip off. He howled in pain and snarled at her, but her growing determination to defend herself was making her quite troublesome. She continued to squirm and struggle, although his strength was far too great for her. He turned her around roughly, forcing her face into the dirt, causing her to cough and choke on the dry, dusty clouds their movements were kicking up. He started thrusting into her again, purring from the building feelings and ignoring her screams and whatever obscenities she managed to utter.

It seemed Ami's denials had caused him to become frustrated, and even more violent than usual. He really wanted to force _moans_ out of her, not screams, but he couldn't get himself to calm down.

Again and again he thrust, until at last Trisha broke down into heaving sobs and stopped fighting him. She went limp but he held her up, and kept going until at last he reached his orgasm, howling out into the air with no shame.

This time, the scent of success hit him almost immediately, which was quite unusual.

He slowly pulled out of her and kept her held down with one clawed foot, although it seemed the fight had truly left her. For a while he looked about, feeling a bit confused and lost, but it soon left him, and he grabbed her still sobbing form and hurtled back into the welcoming sky.

/

End of chapter 18.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

/

"Well Alonus...here we are. Wherever _here_ is." Jezelle was standing in the middle of a forest clearing, with a big boulder to her left that was part of the mountains, covered in moss. On her right, a stream ran through and crept onward, the water giving an eerie glow in the moonlight. Alonus was near the stream's banks, smelling the air and in deep concentration.

_This must be where he is...somewhere around here._

_That helps dear, really it does._

_He's close...but so faint...I can't quite pinpoint his location. Jezelle my new friend, use your gifts. Help me find him...call out to him in your mind._

Jezelle sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "All right..." she whispered quietly, and closed her eyes. She tried to recall the visions she had seen during the Blood Exchange. The eerie forest, the strange atmosphere of the night sky...the howling.

Wolves. It was the wolves who could lead them to Dinarius she was sure of it. The darkest and largest of the wolves, that one was the leader. The one with eyes the color of rust, so intense and staring.

_So if only I knew your name..._

Then the strangest thing happened. An image of a small and furry grey bat entered her mind.

Jezelle shook her head and opened her eyes.

"Alonus?"

"Hm?" The one she spoke to was still staring out over the water.

"You know anything about a bat?"

The female heradus chuckled. "Oh yes. That bat is little _Puvo_...I remember him."

"Is he like the familiar you were talking about...like that cat you once had?"

"Yes. But Puvo well...I haven't seen him in so long...I'm not sure if he was destroyed or fell apart himself...or if he even still exists. Why?"

"Cause when I was trying to think of those wolves...the Ring of the Full Moon you spoke about...I tried to get the lead wolf's name...only to have an image of the bat pop into my mind."

Alonus chuckled. "Puvo is the actual leader of the Ring." When Jezelle raised an incredulous eyebrow at her, she just smiled. "You see originally Dinarius wanted a Ring of bats. But they are very hard familiars to create, I'm not sure why...they just are. It was too much for the mages to make an entire Ring of bats...and so the wolves completed the Ring instead."

"So...this Ring of wolves is led by a small bat?" Jezelle didn't bother to question about these mages. She knew eventually Alonus would tell her the story, as she had promised.

"Yes. That is true."

Jezelle chuckled, giving a slap to the knee. "Ha ha...chile you have no idea how crazy that sounds. Well...I guess I better try and call to Puvo then. He might just help me find Dinarius."

She took a seat next to Alonus, her black skin glistening in the light. _ A bat leading a pack of wolves. Really...I HAVE heard everything now._

With the returned image of Puvo in her mind upon calling him, Jezelle had a very strong sensation that there was a path behind the big boulder that led upwards into a well hidden cave.

/

Trisha slowly came to and instantly groaned as she did so. Her body was aching all over, but particularly in her nether regions. She was on a big pile of hay in the middle of a cold, dank cave...and a very large one at that. For a while, she was just utterly confused as to where she was. Then the memory came raging back at her, the running, the screaming...the _pain..._

_OH god...rape...he RAPED me...where am I?! _Trisha began shaking. She wanted so bad for the whole ordeal to have just been a nightmare, but the throbbing pains told her otherwise. Gathering her knees close to her chest, she began to rock herself in an attempt to soothe her already shattered nerves. Clearly, the Creeper was probably going to kill her after all. Alonus was wrong, and that crazy bitch Ami was certainly _very_ wrong. There was nothing good about this monster. Nothing at _all._

_So you are awake._

The unbidden, unwanted deep voice came into her head and Trisha yelled out inspite of herself.

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD! Get the _fuck_ out of my head!" She grabbed her head with both hands and shut her eyes tightly, sobbing.

_You hear me now._

"I don't want to hear you! GO AWAY!" She forced herself to calm down, her arms going limp against her sides. "Listen, listen..." her voice was very quiet now. "If you're going to kill me, just get it over with. I don't even want to live anymore with what you've done to me. I'm pregnant, aren't I?"

No answer.

"I'm telling you I would rather kill myself then give birth to a monster, you hear me? Do you hear THAT?!" She screamed out, her whole body shaking. Trisha went pale, obviously going into shock from her ordeal.

In her mind, she could have sworn she heard a defeated sigh, but then there was anger, a real and raw anger flowing through her that was not her own.

_No, you will not do that. I simply will not let you. Our race will return...and you will help to do that...because you are a breeder. It is not your choice._

"Screw you, asshole. You better believe I'm not going to do this. I will fight you tooth and nail, every step of the way."

He chuckled. The monstrous freak had the nerve to actually laugh at her.

_You don't frighten me, Patricia Jenner. Remember it is __**I**__ who frightens __**you**__._

"Yeah? I'll give you that. But I'm not Ami. You're going to wish you never, ever, did this to me." Despite her words, tears streamed down her eyes. And then as the shock truly set in and she felt unconsciousness taking hold, she cursed him until no thought remained.

/

Ami sat at the old house...waiting. She had been calling to Goliathus, but he wasn't answering her. Something was wrong...something was very, very wrong and she knew it.

_I'm such an idiot...stupid, stupid idiot...what have I done to Trisha? That woman is probably scared out of her mind, even if he is flying her here._

Solarus was asleep in her arms, and she nuzzled him as her mind swarmed with anxious thoughts. Sighing she called to Goliathus again, this time more insistently.

_Where ARE you?_

_In the cave, where else?_

The answer sounded irritated, cold even...but somewhere in there she still felt a twinge of his affections for her. It was a confusing, swirling mix of emotions that made her head hurt.

_Goliathus...did you find Trisha?_

_Yes._

_Ok. That's a start. So what happened? Is she in the cave with you?_

_Yes._

Ami paled. _Why didn't you bring her to the house? Why is she in the cave?_

She felt his hesitation. And his emotions shifted...they became sad, angry, and bitter all at once.

_She is a breeder, you know._

The words shook Ami to the core. Something was terribly wrong indeed.

_A breeder? _Ami paused for several minutes, absent-mindedly running fingers through her son's hair and tapping her foot. _So...what does that mean? What's going on?_

_It worked rather quickly. Much like Aelia...the seed took fast. I do not know why I did it. I only just did. _He went silent for a minute. _Truly Ami...I am confused. I do not understand my own actions._

_You...she...wait, what? Did you...rape her? _Ami's whole body trembled now, as a tear streaked down the curve of her cheek.

_Yes. What more shall I tell you? And she threatens to kill herself in order to stop this...but I will not allow her to do this. This little one...I already sense...is a girl._

Ami closed her eyes a moment and tried not to scream out loud. Instead, she screamed loudly at him in her mind.

_WHY the hell did you do this?! WHY?! You aren't listening to me! Dammit you just don't listen! Not to me, your father, your MOTHER...NO ONE! _She waited a moment to see if he would respond, but there was nothing. _You just screwed your chances of ever making amends with her, do you understand?!_

Ami also wanted to throw in how he cheated on her, but the notion seemed ridiculous. From the beginning, this was never any kind of normal relationship. Still...the pain was great, and she felt as if he was slipping farther and farther away from her every day. Did _nothing_ she ever said get through to him?

_I hear what you say. _Since Ami had not yet learned the art of mental blocking, her thoughts were still an open book for him. _I just cannot obey it. It goes against my very nature._

_What..what are you talking about?_

_You mentioned an unseen force. Something that is not me in my mind. You asked me to get Trisha, and I went to do it...only to be overwhelmed by a need to ravage her. It seemed to literally come from nowhere and peak until I had no ability to resist. Much like the pile of people by the water whom I did not eat. I killed them out of rage..and then I did not know why._

Ami sighed deeply. _Oh Goliathus...I don't...I don't even know what to say to you anymore..._

_If she will not raise the child Ami, will you?_

His voice sounded hopeful, but Ami was shaking with building anger. _You can't be serious._

_I am. I am quite serious. You may need to protect the new little one from her._

_**Goliathus you raped her! And now you want me to raise this child of a rape for you?! **_She shook her head. Solarus stirred then, obviously catching some of her mental fury. He blinked up at her with big, moist orbs of gold.

_Did you not hear what I explained before? I am already sorry for what I have done. There was no control..._

_Momma. New hewadus? Daddy? _Sollie fidgeted, looking away from his mother and the spines on his head lifting slightly, a sign he was aiming his thoughts to a distance.

_Yes. A half-sister. _ Was all he said to his son.

Solarus smiled. _Momma...I have half sister. _He frowned, confusion setting in. _If she only half-sister, what is other half?_

Ami sighed again. Her eyes were closed as she slowly shook her head, one hand pressed to her forehead. _No it doesn't mean that. It just means that your daddy is the father but someone else is the mother._

_Momma, who is mother?_

_Trisha._

_Ohhh...but daddy not like Trisha. _

_No, he certainly doesn't._

_Will I get to pway with new sister? _He flexed his toes, giggling.

Ami couldn't help but smile. _Of course..._

_I be a big brudder._

_Yes...you certainly would. _A sudden thought came to Ami's mind. Alonus. What in the world was Alonus going to think of all of this?

/

The path behind the boulder looked like it went for miles, and was mostly covered with foliage and rocks everywhere that made passage difficult. Alonus told Jezelle she could merely fly them up there.

_I like that idea better._

After a brief flight (with Alonus doing her best to remain stealthy just in case) the two landed near a yawning cave entrance, dark and dank...which was a little too unsettling for Jezelle. _I got you here, but I'm not going __**in **__there!_

_Don't worry. _Alonus smirked at her. _I understand. You stay here and I'll try and see what I can find._

The moment Alonus stepped in, she sensed a very strange atmosphere and a scent undetectable to humans. It was the scent of dark magic.

_I bet the wolves have been here...they __**must**__ be guarding my nephew's remains..._

After traveling for a while, the darkness became difficult for even Alonus' night-vision. But she pressed on, until the cave divided into two different directions, one path more narrow than the next.

_Dinarius? _She called, hoping to have some of his energy still be around. There was no answer, which left her feeling uncertain he could be restored at all.

_Puvo? Little bat, do you hear me?_

There was a weak response. A faint image lasting for perhaps three seconds flashed into her mind, of little Puvo hanging near a particularly large stalactite. But where?

_Puvo?_

She heard a squeak, faint, but echoing throughout the vast cavern. Following the sound, Alonus headed to her right. It felt like she traveled for hours. How big was this place anyway? Suddenly the scents shifted again. And just as she recognized it as wolf, she heard snarling, and many pairs of eyes in varying shades of gold and silver were staring back at her.

_Oh. Oh my._

_**Leave**__. Guard. Must guard. Will attack! _A strong and foreign voice came strongly into her mind.

_It is me. Do you remember me, Kitsune?_

_Who? _An absolutely huge dark grey wolf crept forward, it's eyes glowing brighter.

_Alonus. I am Alonus._

The snarling ceased. Their came instead a loud symphony of excited yipping and barking as twenty wolves ran for her and she was knocked down, covered in tongues and wagging tails.

/

Ami really didn't want to be back in Goliathus' cave again...but here she was, and trying to console an extremely upset Patricia Jenner. She had woken up from her faint, saw Ami, punched her square in the jaw (which was now throbbing) and screamed endless curses at her. As if the entire situation was her fault...and as far as Ami was concerned...it pretty much was.

"You know I'm going to try and kill this thing inside me."

"I get that, yeah." She sat down next to her, rubbing her painful jaw. "That's gonna bruise you know."

"Good." Trisha spat, and leaned back against the cave wall, breaking down into sobs again.

"I'm not happy about this either." Well, that was the understatement of the year. Trisha huffed at this, and with eyes puffy and red, lifted her arm and clenched her fist as if she might punch her again. But she hesitated, slowly shaking her head.

"You know what? You're just as much as a victim as I am. You don't even see it, Ami... I think you're suffering from Stockholm Syndrome. You say you love this monster, but in the end, didn't you do all of this just to survive?" She blinked, narrowing her eyes as she gazed at Solarus, who was looking back at her with wide eyes.

_I no monster._

Trisha cringed at the child's voice in her mind. This one was much easier to take, more like an irritating itch than a painful stabbing in her brain. _You're innocent in all of this. I don't like you, but you are what you are._

Sollie's bottom lip quivered. _You no like me?_

_You're going to grow up and become like your father._

_NO. _Solarus hiccuped, tears falling down his face now as he clung to his mother more tightly.

_Momma, I won't! I won't!_

Ami frowned at Trisha, her lips tight. "Don't you upset my child like that. Solarus is NOT his father, and he never will be."

Trisha huffed again. "You just won't believe anything else, will you?"

"Why don't we wait and see, instead of making that judgement now?" Ami had had enough, and bristled, she rose to her feet and walked away from Patricia Jenner.

/

Alonus laughed and tried her darndest to get the mass of fur off of her. "Okay okay, enough you silly beasts, enough!"

Finally Kitsune gave a warning yip, and the other wolves backed away, although their many bushy tails kept wagging.

_Alonus. Queen! Friend._

_Yes my dear Kitsune. Where is my nephew?_

The wolf snorted, ears drooping. _Bones. Bones. Nothing but bones. Guard nonetheless._

Alonus nodded, glad that Kistune could understand. He was the only one magical enough to understand her and be able to communicate back, even if this was limited. The other wolves could not talk to her, but they did understand their leader, who was in all respects a translator for them, using the wolf's language.

_I see. Still, show me. I will do what I can to restore him._

Kitsune's ears perked back up. _Bring master back? _

_I will surely try...we need him. Goliathus must be stopped...I need to-_

She sighed, the words eluding her. Kitsune growled at the name of her son, but said nothing in response. His gold eyes were fixated on her.

_Much like your grandfather. Human eater. _He said finally.

Alonus nodded slowly, fighting back tears. _Did Barabas tell you all of this?_

_We know, _Came the simple answer.

She didn't feel the need to press the issue, it wasn't important. _Is Puvo here?_

_Yes. Little bat here. But barely alive. We wolves, we eat flesh of deer. Survive. Magic is weak. More like regular wolves now. But Puvo needs master. He is living bones._

_Living...bones? _Alonus felt very uneasy about those words.

_Skeleton. Stay still. Use little energy. Puvo will die if tries to fly. Must stay still. Little energy left. Almost gone now. We spared some. Ours._

_Oh...I understand now, my friend. _She smiled at Kitsune, at his revelation of giving magic energy to the little bat.

She moved forward, the wolves following, as she searched the tall ceiling. She found him then, a small bat, who was indeed nothing but bones with little skin left and hanging in shreds. It reminded her of herself...trapped and lost in that coffin under the stone table in the cathedral. Puvo just hung there...anyone else who would see it would have surely thought it merely the mummified remains of this animal and nothing more.

She reached up and carefully plucked the small form from the stalactite, and as she did so one of the tiny bones crumbled to dust in her clawed hand.

_Careful. Not good idea. _Kistune growled low, but Alonus assured him she knew what she was doing.

_Puvo. You sent me a vision before. Do you still hear me?_

Again a faint and weak image of the very form she was holding flashed in her mind, but there was no movement.

_Fortunately, you will be a bit easier than my nephew...since you are so small. _She gave a quick grin before using a claw to puncture her own wrist. The blood which welled up from the injury was then dripped onto the bat's carcass. As she did this, flesh and sinew began to reform and slowly Puvo's body filled out. Lastly the fur sprouted back, until a soft and warm little body, renewed with life, was quivering and moving in her claws.

_Ah there you go._

More images flashed in her mind, this time in a rapid frenzy. Puvo was attempting to catch up on many lost years all at once.

_All right, all right, easy little one. _Puvo was nipping her fingers, obviously very hungry. She looked at Kitsune, who gave a nod and the others flowed around him.

_We will find a large deer. For leader, and for master. _With that, they all went running out of the cave and into the welcoming dark of the night, excitement of the hunt on their minds. She heard some of their howls as they faded out of hearing range.

_Wolves are wolves, even magical ones. Aren't they, Puvo? _She giggled, bringing her furry friend up to her face and kissing his nose. Puvo squeaked, a little disgruntled at her holding his wings out as she did so. _It seems everything is in place and so you must get back to flying, little one. I will need your help with a few things._

A question mark appeared in her mind.

_Well the first thing you will do, once you are fed, is to go and find Ami, a new and very important friend of ours. A __**human**__ friend, Puvo, can you imagine that? Stay with her and help protect her, while I work on restoring Dinarius...if I can still do so. It will take a lot out of me. I need you to guard her while I am occupied, do you understand? Barabas is getting weaker, and he cannot really offer her protection anymore. But you, little bat, are a mighty force to be reckoned with. _She grinned. _You may be small...but I know your magic is great. For how else could you have survived in that state for so long? Will you do this? _She nuzzled the little bat again, who this time licked her nose in response.

_Thank you. Thank you my sweet little friend._

In short time, the wolves returned, each carrying large chunks of deer flesh in their maws. Puvo ate his fill, and then quickly flew off to find Ami. Meanwhile, the rest of the meat was piled near Alonus. It was for her, and after they watched Puvo fly away for a while as if entranced, the canines went back to hunting for more.

Their queen was going to need it.

/

End of Chapter 19.

_ I am taking the story off hiatus, and attempting to find time to finish it, but please do not send me reviews demanding chapters. That isn't a review, it's just harrassment. I do like that people like to read my fanfictions, but say something positive, not negative, please. People have lives outside of writing and spending a lot of time on a computer. That said I also have health issues and am doing my best to improve that, and sometimes it means I am very slow to get energy to do anything.. I almost quit, I do admit...but then realized I had the ideas still in my mind and wanted to get them completed. TGC will also be finished it only has maybe three more chapters or so. You will see the ties between that story and this one, this story is pretty much just an alternate version of TCG. Many thanks to any and all reviews I may receive!_


	20. Chapter 20

Creeper's Captive

Chapter 20

/

Kitsune felt as if the hunt had gone extremely well. His pack were loyal and efficient, and whatever squabbles they had were quickly ended with a well-placed nip to the haunches or a growl if anyone was caught sneaking a mouthful. None of this meat could be eaten now anyhow, it was for the queen and their master.

_Master. _Could it be true, that he would return? Dinarius had been gone so long, and yet Kitsune could still remember his long white mane and deep blue eyes. He had been a kind master but also a strong and determined one. It had seemed all so unfair when humans had forced him into hiding. The starving...the starving had been so painful and unsettling to watch...

Shaking the thoughts from his mind with a great toss of his furry head, Kitsune barked at the others who stuffed big hunks of the bloody deer meat between their jaws and with tails high bounded back to the hidden cave. He lingered behind for quite some time with his own piece however, padding slowly forward and with head low. The other name..._Goliathus_...his kind were the cause of their problems. Human-eaters never fared well...and that went for wolves too. If they ever did attack humans, they were shot and killed or as in the old days, stuck with arrows or beaten with clubs. Kitsune learned long ago that men were quick to control their world and destroy whatever they didn't like. It was better to keep a sound distance from them. Besides the forest provided all they needed...for now. When times were lean he had considered approaching the human farms for chickens or sheep, but humans had a way of finding out when one of their captive animals had been taken, and wolves were always blamed...whether it was their fault or not. Having witnessed other wild wolves be killed...even those he had tried to welcome into his pack...for he had no females...no, he would not take the risk again.

For him and his pack, starvation was unpleasant but not an end. A curse or a blessing, it was hard to say...but he knew they were a Ring. It was different. To Kitsune trying to understand why men had made magical wolves or any magical creature was too much for his canine limits, even the word magic was confusing. All he did know was that he had been alive a very long time, and was always free to howl at the moon or eat his fill of meat day in and day out. Being free and alive and keeping his pack safe was all that mattered to him...and as far as he was concerned, the queen heradus and their master were part of their pack.

And Puvo...the little bat who guided them...how amazing it had been to see his little form come alive from the blood of the queen. It entranced him so, to see such wonders. How did she have such ability to renew life? Even now he could think to the little bat and receive a response. It was a wonderful return of a sensation in his mind he had missed for so long. The bat was nearing some old house, made of bricks...and there was another cave nearby. Then he saw an image of a new human female he had not seen before holding a young child. This must be Ami, and for a moment his spirits soared.

Puvo, however, was alarmed. There was yet another human female who was in the cave. She smelled of fear and hatred. A victim? Did the heradus human-eater wish to eat her? Puvo was not sure. Kitsune chuffed and growled low to himself around the mouthful of meat as he picked up his pace. He now understood the queen's urgings and why she needed the master. It was vastly important that her son be stopped before he could eat any other humans, or all of the work Barabas had accomplished would be undone. He would have failed in his mission, and Kitsune did not want that for him.

He began to run and quickly caught up with the others. As he did so he began to feel another very familiar energy bristling around him.

_Master._

_/_

Alonus fought the intense hunger flowing through her body. All of the meat was already gone...and yet still she hungered. The blood she had shed was great, and yet it seemed Dinarius would not return easily. Bones...it really was nothing but bones. She herself when in this state had retained some of her black leathery hide and even her hair, due to mummification. But Dinarius had merely been lying there, in a shallow ditch. Her lower lip quivered, he had apparently starved for a very long time until he finally withered into nothing but these ancient remains. Dinarius would rather suffer this than eat any human...or one of his wolves. She put a hand to her mouth, choking down a sob. There was so much pain in her heart, and in all honesty sometimes she simply wanted to just break down and cry as loudly as she could, just to release all of it if such things were possible. It was a deep rivulet that went far back into time...from the loss of her son's sanity to the death of her beloved. She had hoped for the blood exchange back then...she would have done it, but it was never to be so, as hard as it was to accept. Having Barabas as a ghost was better than losing him forever...and soon he would be gone permanently...

Sighing she mentally chided herself and crawled back out of the pits of her negative thinking. "I am sorry nephew. Here I am getting distracted when there is an important task at hand..." The wounds she had sliced onto her wrists with her own claws were healing now and she had to reopen them. Wincing she did so, and each time it was more painful. The blood had welled into a small pool beneath the bones, and yet very little was happening.

"Come back to me, nephew. Please...what hope do I have now without you?"

_More food, my queen._

Alonus turned around sharply, having been so distracted she had not seen nor heard Kitsune and the others arrive. They ceremoniously piled all the meat close to her and she dove into it greedily.

Some of them watched eagerly as if begging dogs at a human table, but Kitsune bared his teeth at them. _We can always hunt for us later. Go get more!_

Whimpering the offending wolves tucked their tails and dashed back out of the cave.

Alonus chuckled, patting his huge head. Kitsune's ears perked at the feel of her claws going through his thick fur.

_Petting. Forgot this. Is nice._

She laughed, giving him a big hug around his muscular neck. _You silly old beast. Deep inside, you're just a puppy._

He snorted, and laid down with his head on his paws. _Is working?_

_I don't know...it seems very slow-going. Has Puvo contacted you?_

_Yes. He is there. Two human females. One is very upset, afraid._

_Hmm. Patricia Jenner. She is very hateful because my son killed her brother._

Kitsune snarled. _If brother wolf died, I would also be angry! Very._

Alonus nodded, petting him now down his back. Kitsune spoke of the darkest wolf of the pack, with grey-black fur.

_Aladar? Is that his name?_

_Yes. Brother._

_It is too bad he cannot speak to me, Kitsune. It has always just been you._

_No need to. Brother is happy. Brother loves you. Queen. Good friend. All the wolves follow you. And master._

Alonus gave a warm smile and another hug before going back to her work. _Go join the others now. You must keep bringing food._

Getting up onto his four massive paws Kitsune licked her face before turning and dashing out quickly.

Alonus wiped the tears from her eyes. No human could ever know the joy and wonder of communication with wolves. They were noble and loyal creatures unlike any she had ever known.

/

Ami was pacing around her little house, having little else to do in the moment. The tirade of anger before had left her exhausted, but also she was very concerned for Trisha. Despite their differences she knew the woman never deserved any of this, and was now being forced to be part of this world whether she wanted it or not. Solarus was in bed sleeping now, giving her time to think. What was she going to do? Barabas was not answering her calls. Goliathus lately seemed in a dangerous sort of mood, and she felt it best to avoid his company. Besides she was **angry** at him. He had ripped a piece of her heart out and he didn't need claws to do it, either.

Finally she stopped pacing and sat down heavily on the log. Maybe she could start a fire, it was getting chilly. Marshmallows roasted over said fire sounded really nice about now; she remembered there were still some remaining back at the house...probably stale by now, but who cared? Resolving herself to the task she started to collect sticks and branches for the fire pit, tossing them in. As she went back to the house to get the confections she hoped she'd find a match or two while she was in there.

Ami stopped short once she reached the doorway. Goliathus was in the house, sitting in the rocking chair. He had started a fire in the hearth and warmth was already spreading throughout. Carefully she stepped in and sat on a makeshift "rug" (which was really just old towels) near him.

_Cold?_

_I came to get some matches to start a fire outside. And maybe eat some marshmallows. But I see you're a step ahead of me._

Ami got up and searched for the bag, finding it finally in one of the other rooms. She used a stick from outside and skewered one on the end before hovering it near the fire to brown.

_You like to eat those things? _

_Well yes I do. Is that a problem?_

He looked away from her, staring at the dancing flames as they crackled.

_Solarus? All is well with him?_

_He's sleeping upstairs._

Silence reigned for a few minutes.

_I __**am**__ sorry, Ami. I do not wish for you to hate me._

Ami said nothing, turning her marshmallow over the fire.

_I fear for the new little one. It came about in the wrong way, but she..._

Finally Ami looked at him, her lips tight.

_She still deserves to exist, does she not? It is not her fault for what has happened. You will raise her? _He shifted, uncomfortable, and still not meeting her gaze. _Have you thought about it?_

_I've had a lot to think about lately, Goliathus. A lot._

He put a clawed hand on her shoulder, and she sucked in a breath, stiffening.

_Don't even. Don't even think you-_

_I am not here to commit another rape. _He sighed, loudly and highly unusual for him. _I am actually here to tell you...to admit to you...that my feelings for you are much like I had for father's daughter. You understand? It was her death that caused me to fall. I cared about her too much. And mother. I had to witness mother being tortured. I knew not how to cope with all of that. I did not understand what I was or the powers I had. I only knew how to turn to wrath and anger. As you say,perhaps some demonic creature has taken advantage of that. Or perhaps it is just my own failures. Whatever the reason-I ask for you to forgive me, because I cannot lose you. When I said you were different, I meant that. No one has accepted me as you have. Why it took such a long time to fully realize this I do not know. Perhaps it is because I simply believed it could not be true._

He stopped there. Ami lost all interest in her marshmallow and let it burn in the fire. She put both hands to her face, sank to her knees, and sobbed.

Goliathus did not know what to make of it, was she sad? Angry? Did what he say to her only make it worse? He shifted his wings against his back a little, yearning to know what to say. Communicating had never been his thing and he was more at a loss now than he had been before. He did know he had hurt Ami both physically and mentally, and it bothered him. For once it had really and truly _bothered_ him.

He waited for a while, hoping she would say something, but when she didn't he got up from the chair and headed for the doorway.

_You know where to find me._

He had almost left when he felt Ami slip her arms around him from behind. Turning slowly he looked into her glassy eyes.

_I don't know how to respond to that, you stupid idiot..._

Goliathus stroked her hair, but wasn't sure what else to do. Before she had made it quite clear not to touch her.

_I don't know anymore with you! _She leaned her head against his chest and this time he clung to her.

_I do love you, Ami._

_How can you say that?! _Her eyes were fixed on him. _How can you rape me one day, then say you love me the next? In fact you-_

She stopped, for a sense of wonderment suddenly flooded her.

_Wait, what? Did you just say you loved me? You've never said that before._

He nodded. _I know. And yes I said it. Because it is true._

_How can you love me? How? Are you sure you do? Or are you just horny and hoping to appease me?_

Goliathus chuffed and let her go, walking away towards his cave, but she followed him.

_Goliathus. Don't walk away. Tell me._

For a while she was staring at his back but he finally looked over his shoulder. _I believe I love you. More so than I even did Aelia. _He climbed up onto his favorite rock and once again...Ami followed.

_Oh. _She sat huddled next to him, gazing back down at the ground at the huge shadows they cast from the moonlight.

_You don't believe me?_

She looked up at him again as a claw traced lines in her neck.

He leaned down, almost as if he would kiss her but instead lingered there for a moment. Ami turned away, shivering all over.

_It __**is**__ cold tonight. Winter nears. May be a strong one, many storms._

As if in response a cold wind blew over them. Goliathus lifted a wing and wrapped it about her small body.

It emenated incredible warmth and she huddled closer.

_Admittedly..._he started, after a long while. _Perhaps I __**am**__..._

_What? _She said, leaning more heavily into his side.

_Horny. But we have not been together for a very long time. _

Ami gave a snort and sat back up straight, peering at him from the corner of her eye. She couldn't help it and started laughing at his sly grin.

_You are something else, you know that? Really indescribable, Goliathus._

Still grinning he pushed her a little as if trying to knock her off the rock. For a few minutes they played this way, until Ami stopped and shook her head.

_What is going to happen with Trisha, hm? You tell me. Are you going to chain her up, threaten her with torture...what?_

Goliathus frowned, all of the mirth evaporating from his face. _That one hates me. And I have earned her hatred._

_Yeah? We know that, Goliathus. Everyone knows it. Except what are you going to do about it, that is the question._

_I cannot just let her go. She will kill the baby. I have no choice but to hold her captive._

_Until it's born?_

_Yes._

_And then what? You will let her go?_

A long silence. _ I will. I want nothing more to do with her after that. She is a breeder, but there is you. She will never be a willing one as you are._

Ami gave a deep sigh, pressing her hands down on both knees. _Goliathus I can't see this ending well. I'm not even so sure you will succeed. That is NINE months you must keep her here, well fed and cared for mind you...until that baby is born and you don't even KNOW how hard it will be. She is not like me at all, and will do everything in her power to abort that baby._

_I know. But what other choice is there? I have created this immense problem, and I will have to deal with the consequences. I hope that mother would-_

That stopped him dead in this thoughts, and he looked far off. Alonus would surely be stark raving mad when she discovered what had happened.

_You sure have caused an immense problem, all right. But-what can I do, but help you? I love you too, Goliathus. Damn me and curse me for saying it, but I love you too and even though any other sane person would run away screaming, here I am still clinging to hope and then you __**give**__ me that hope! _She punched him hard in the shoulder, and while it did little to hurt him it did cause him to blink at her in surprise. _Bastard. You make everything so difficult._

The grin returned,obviously he understood her remarks. Urging her closer, Ami relented and allowed him to hold her.

_Your forgiveness means the world to me. _Purring, he was now taking in her scents and growing in his obvious eagerness.

_Goliathus there are going to be ground rules and you are going to follow them, you understand? No more going all tyrannical on me and forcing your way._

_Hmm. _He caressed and stroked her thighs, causing Ami to gasp in spite of herself, and she tried to fight her own growing arousal.

_First no more humans and that is a __**must**__...I will help you with this in any way possible but you can't do that anymore..._

_Yes, I know. _His claws were now wandering to much more intimate areas. Ami didn't fight him, but was determined to finish her altamatum.

_Second please no more fights with your mother...I couldn't bear to watch that again..._

As he leaned down to lick her neck she sighed, closing her eyes.

_And Solarus...you need to be a father to him and prove to him that you do have a good heart...he's starting to think of you only as a bad human eater and nothing else. He's afraid of you I think, and you don't want that, do you?_

_No... _

Ami felt his hands groping at her pants, wanting to get them off. _You know you can't just say these things, you have to mean it._

_I want to mean it..._

_Well you have to mean it! I don't know if I can trust you if you don't promise me you will at least try with everything you have._

_These buttons and zippers you humans insist on wearing...so annoying._

Ami sighed, cupping his face. _Promise me, okay? Please...just...promise me._

He huffed. _I do despise promising anything..._

_All I want is for you to promise you will __**try**__. That is all I'm saying. I know it's a long road still ahead of you._

He pulled up, staring at her intently. _All right then. I promise I will try. _

Smiling Ami felt as if a ten-ton weight had been removed off of her shoulders. She hugged him tightly and he clutched her with a great, gripping strength, any tighter and he might start to crack her bones.

_Oh Goliathus,not here. Not here._

_Where else, little mouse? In the house? The cave? They are occupied._

Growling in that shiver-inducing way he finally succeeded in getting off those pants,exposing her to the chilly night air. He reached down closer to her, but suddenly Ami heard a squeak, and felt something whizz over their heads.

Goliathus did not notice or didn't care, as he pulled her up towards him, eager to join with her.

Again something whizzed by their heads, this time the squeak was louder and Goliathus gave a snarl, something with sharp little claws had struck his forehead.

_What in the world is that? _Ami blinked at him.

At the third pass, Goliathus in a flash reached up and snatched whatever it was straight of the air. Ami stared in surprise at a small furry bat squeaking furiously and biting his fingers.

_A bat? _He said. Ami blinked at him helplessly, but then there was a giant green flame which enveloped him and he roared, falling back off the rock and landing on the ground with a painful-sounding thud. Ami shrieked and quickly grabbed her clothes, getting herself dressed as quickly as possible before running over to him. She grabbed water in a bucket near the fireplace but the water did nothing, simply evaporating before it even was able to touch him. Ami saw that the fire was coming from the bat itself.

_Stop it, stop it,please! What are you, who are you?!_

At her urgent request the flames died down immediately. The bat left Goliathus and perched on her shoulder, nose quivering.

_Get off me! What are you? Why are you attacking us?_

She heard nothing but squeaks, as the little black eyes stared right at her.

_Get off! _She grabbed the bat who protested loudly, and tried to knock him off, but he flew off first, landing in a nearby tree upside down and still squeaking angrily.

Goliathus had recovered and he stood up, but his duster was nearly burnt to a few clinging shreds and he kept growling, staring at the bat.

_What in the world?_

Puvo flapped off the tree and came right at Goliathus. Some incredibly bright beam of light came from him and seared the heradus through the chest. That did it. He fell like a stone to the ground in an unmoving heap.

"Goliathus!" Ami ran over to him again, but this time her shaking did not stir him.

"What have you done you wicked little creature?!" Puvo flew around her head and she attempted to grab him but he suddenly went upwards and disappeared into the night sky.

Ami was terrified. The rational part of her brain was failing...seeing ghosts was one thing, but a magical bat with incredible power was another. She didn't like this at all.

_Alonus? Alonus! You need to come back very soon!_

/

Consciousness was finally returning. Alonus groaned and cradled her head...anymore bloodletting and she may fall into a sleep that could last for days. Gasping for breath she tried to clear her eyes and looked at the bones.

Except the bones were not there anymore. A form was lying there now, although it was pitifully weak-looking and gaunt. Turning she saw that the wolves were back, and they all looked at her hopefully with glowing eyes. An enormous pile of meat was still nearby...they had been working tirelessly all night and their energy was spent.

Alonus gave a weak smile to Kitsune and crawled over to her nephew's body.

"Dinarius? Wake up, wake up."

His lips moved. "Anna..."

The barely whispered name was recognized. Anna was a human girl he had once guarded...all those years ago. Had he been in this cave with her? Truth was, she did not know the story of what had happened to her sister's son. She would soon find out...or so she hoped, when Dinarius was ready to tell her.

"Wake up, please." She shook him harder. His eyelids fluttered and opened, and he blinked at her in silence for quite some time.

Finally he groaned and attempted to push himself out of the shallow pit, and kept staring until he saw the furry forms past her.

"Kit-sune?"

With a loud yelp of excitement the wolf sprang to his face and dashed over to him, yipping and barking in a torrent of emotion, his tail wagging furiously. He flipped onto his back with all four paws in the air and Dinarius chuckled, although the sound was like dust over sandpaper.

"Oh...Dinarius. He has missed you so! He can scarcely believe you are back!"

He grinned. "Yeah, this big wolf with huge teeth is nothing but an overgrown pup-"

He stopped and looked up at her again, but this time the realization sunk in.

"Auntie? Alonus-is that you?!"

Her smile widened and tears streamed down her face. "Yes, yes it's me."

Dinarius was still very weak and was only able to drag himself over a few inches, so that he could envelop her into a hug. For a long time, he would not let go.

"Oh Auntie, I can't even believe you are here! Are the others ok? Where is Ramonus?" He sounded rather anxious as he spoke that name.

She frowned. "He's...he's been gone a long time. My dear it has been many centuries."

"_Centuries?_"

She nodded solemly. "There is much to tell you. But first...tell me...what is your last memory?"

He scratched the back of his head. "It was...of Anna...and hiding here...she was so little and so scared...they found out about us...I'm not sure how. Your grandfather was on a rampage and the sacrifices the village were giving him were not enough." He paused, crestfallen. "It was just never enough. He started going into people's homes, snatching their children...I knew I had to get Anna away before she fell prey to him as well. So I flew her to this cave, but Kitsune said it still wasn't safe to leave and so we just stayed here. He tried to help and bring us food...but something happened then...something...I can't remember why but suddenly all the wolves stopped coming and the hunger grew...Anna was hungry too, and tired...and chilled by the cold...she...she got sleepy and then I couldn't wake her..."

Dinarius stopped, sniffling. Alonus took one of his hands and tried to comfort him, but words failed her.

"And Puvo-" he looked around. "Where...where is he? I remember he disappeared too, I can't remember what happened to the animals." He looked over at Kistune, who whined.

_No memory, master. No memory. Do not know._

Dinarius nodded and shuddered, looking back to Alonus. "She died...Auntie...she died, but at least Ramonus did not get to...to..." Overcome, he sank down into a fetal position, sobbing. Alonus wrapped her arms around him and cradled him, rocking back and forth.

"Oh my dear...my dear..." She stroked his hair and just held him for many long minutes...she would hold him for as long as he needed. It was all she could do. He had watched over Anna from the very beginning of her life...having always been so excited and eager to take on the role and befriend the humans who loved them.

Those so few humans...leaning her head on his shoulder, she looked to the left and caught sight of a small femur sticking up from the ground close to where he had been.

_My dear nephew...the child falling asleep into death was,indeed, far better than any other fate my grandfather would have given her. You did not fail her._

_/_

"Gollie? Gollie, please wake up!" Ami kept shaking the heradus, but he would not move. She turned every which way, looking for that cursed little bat, but for the time being it seemed to have disappeared. Confused and frightened, Am got up to her feet quickly as she thought of Solarus. _What if the bat goes after him, too?!_

She all but ran to the house and headed upstairs, nearly tripping and falling down the stairwell as she did so, and found her son awake and giggling as something had his interest.

Ami's eyes went wide as she saw the bat, right in front of Solarus and cascading him with a myriad of squeaking sounds. Solarus squealed, clapping and laughing in glee at the little creature.

_Puvo! Puvo silly! Ha ha!_

Ami blinked, and slowly walked into the room. "Sollie?"

He met her gaze, and smiled brightly. _Momma, new fwiend!_

_Friend, is it? This "friend" just brought down your father, and I can't wake him up. _She trembled, so much was going through her mind and emotions were churning about like a hurricane. At any moment, she was absolutely going to snap.

Solarus frowned, and seemed to be thinking at the little bat. _Momma, Puvo say dadda is just asleep, he put him to sleep. Bat say, he will protect you, he was told to._

Ami sat down on the bed, and stared. The bat turned its little head in her direction, emitting high-pitched squeaks that hurt her ears.

_Your name is Puvo?_

She saw images of the little bat in her mind, and as if hitting a rewind button, other images appeared of the earlier brief battle with Goliathus. Then she realized she was seeing the bat's other memories. There was Alonus, and incredibly, twenty wolves all around some cave hidden somewhere in the forest. She also saw the woman who must be Jezelle, waiting for her outside.

In that moment she realized the bat did not use words, but images and memories to communicate. It was very strange, like closing one's eyes and seeing a theater screen in front of them.

Ami tried this out, showing Puvo her own mental images of being scared and confused of his attack earlier. His response was to fly onto her chest, crawl up, and cuddle against her neck. Then she saw images of another heradus, and he was doing the same thing, clinging there against the back of his neck.

_Who is that? Is it Alonus' nephew?_

She saw another image of the face and then the body...and Ami gasped, to her it was an incredibly handsome one. He had intense blue eyes which were anything but malicious. A fluffy white mane of hair went all the way down his back and unlike Goliathus or Alonus, he had a long tail.

_Wow. Does that mean Alonus found him?_

The bat squeaked, and Ami felt the happy emotion. She also felt little licks to her neck, and giggling, pulled him off.

_Hey, hey, stop that would you! That tickles._

_See, momma? He no bad! Puvo like you. He want to help!_

Ami nodded. _I'm glad, because I got really scared out there. I had no idea what was going on. But now, it all makes sense. Well, at least as much as this whole crazy situation can make sense, anyhow._

_/_

End of Chapter 20.

_This chapter got held up a bit because I had to rewrite things a few times, and I'm still not 100% sure of this one, but well I'm sick of rewrites at this point. LOL Please leave reviews! More will come shortly! Oh and in case anyone is wondering, Puvo is a Gray bat, check out the species on Wikipedia or Google for images. :3_


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